Gene Frenette: Jaguars fans should relish being in playoff hunt, chasing after Titans

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson isn’t trying to ignore the fact the franchise is playing meaningful football in mid-December for only the second time in a dozen years, but stirring up playoff talk clearly isn’t a priority for him at the moment.

“No, I really don’t, but I do want to show the team kind of where we are and what’s in front of us and what’s kind of at stake,” Pederson said. “I think it’s my job to kind of keep those goals in front of us, but I want us to focus on this week [game against Dallas Cowboys]. … I don’t want to move too far forward.”

Sorry, coach, the Jaguars’ fan base is understandably stoked after last week’s season-altering road win against the Tennessee Titans. So going into Sunday’s Dallas game, especially with Trevor Lawrence playing his best ball of the season, let them dream about the playoff door being cracked open wider than most observers think.

After over a decade of turning their pre-Christmas attention to the NFL draft order, it’s refreshing to see the 5-8 Jaguars in AFC South contention for however long it lasts.

Gene's previous three columns:

Team Box of Chocolates:No predicting what up-down Jaguars might do at any moment

Ascending QB:Jaguars' rising star Lawrence may loosen Titans' hold on AFC South

Litmus test:Jaguars' matchup with Titans, especially for defense, is ultimate manhood test

Overcoming the two-game deficit against the slumping Titans is more doable than many NFL playoff models suggest, which gives the Jaguars about a 10-15 percent change of reaching the postseason.

I’d submit the chances are double that because Tennessee, outscored 71-32 the past two weeks, has significant attrition issues on defense.

Three impact players — outside linebacker Denico Autry, inside linebacker David Long and cornerback Kristian Fulton — are either on IR (eligible to return) or have tough injury situations. The Titans’ best defensive player, nose tackle Jeffery Simmons, is also trying to power through an ankle problem and is nowhere near 100 percent.

With no viable offensive weapon outside Derrick Henry, plus an offensive line in shambles, it’s hard to see the Titans winning more than one of their next three games (at Los Angeles Chargers, home against Houston Texans and Cowboys) before the Week 18 rematch with the Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field.

Even if the Jaguars are still trailing by two games with two games remaining, the probability of picking up a game on January 1 when facing the Texans and Tennessee playing Dallas is reasonably high. Being one game behind going into the season finale against the Titans means that game would be for the AFC South title.

By all means, the Jaguars should embrace the idea of their fan base dreaming about the playoffs. Imagine the atmosphere at TIAA Bank Field if that Titans’ rematch is a winner-take-all game for the division crown. That scenario could also prompt the NFL to flex that meeting into prime-time on Jan. 7 or 8 (if there’s no more than one other winner-take-the-division game).

Obviously, all this P-word talk could go away if the Jaguars can’t get at least a split of the next two games against Dallas and next Thursday’s matchup at the New York Jets.

Except for 2017, the Jaguars have been mathematically eliminated from the postseason no later than December 13 since 2011.

So Jaguars fans should enjoy every minute of being in the playoff conversation a week before Christmas. It sure beats counting down the days to the NFL draft.

Minshew big part of Leach legacy

Mississippi State and the Southeastern Conference lost a real treasure with the passing Monday of football coach Mike Leach. Beyond being the creator of the “Air Raid” offense and having an affinity for pirates, the 61-year-old Leach was a paragon of irreverence who consistently brought a breath of fresh air to college football.

Leach’s last name should really have been Levity because his interviews and conversations brought a light-heartedness to a sport that, within the Power 5 ranks, often takes itself too seriously.

The Jaguars should be forever grateful to Leach for reviving the football career of Philadelphia Eagles’ backup Gardner Minshew during the quarterback’s one-year stint at Washington State. The video of Minshew putting a moustache on Leach on the field after a Cougars’ victory remains a classic.

It’s probably no coincidence that Minshew, who won seven games as a Jaguars’ starter (2019-20) with a suspect roster, will be remembered in Jacksonville for having a similar fun-loving personality as Leach.

Navy coach gets raw deal

It was bad enough for Navy football coach Ken Niumataldo that his Midshipmen lost a 20-17 double overtime game to Army, but to get fired in the locker room afterwards by athletic director Chet Gladchuk was a classless move.

His teams were more than reasonably competitive for a service academy, going 109-83 in 15 seasons, including 6-4 in bowl games and with 10 winning seasons. The winningest coach in Navy history had a 10-5 record against Army, though lost five of the last seven, and 6-5 against Air Force.

Yet with one year remaining on Niumataldo’s contract, Gladchuk felt three consecutive losing seasons fell below the Navy standard and warranted his dismissal.

That point is debatable, but the way Niumataldo got fired reflects poorly on Navy. Gladchuk, an AD for 34 years at four different schools, has plenty of experience in the industry. Working with Niumataldo for 20 years (including his time as an assistant), he should have had the decency to give his coach a day or two to process a tough loss before firing him.

Witt honored by tennis peers

Former ATP player and Jacksonville Beach resident David Witt, the coach for Jessica Pegula since 2019, has been voted Coach of the Year by his WTA tennis peers. Pegula, the daughter of Buffalo Bills owners Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula, rose from No. 18 in the world rankings at the start of the year to her current No. 3 position.

Jessica’s rise included reaching the quarterfinals in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Witt, 49, a Fletcher High graduate, also coached Venus Williams for 11 years. Tennis legend Chris Evert tweeted this about Witt: “Now this guy. … is one committed, nice, and knowledgeable coach. . . happy for Jessie and David. . . both exemplify hard work and humility.”

Quick-hitting nuggets

Only five months after a life-changing truck accident left him paralyzed, former Providence High and Florida Gators basketball star Patric Young and his charity foundation raised over $75,000 in his first benefit golf tournament at The Yards to assist people with spinal cord injuries. Young’s relentlessly positive attitude under tough circumstances will resonate with people and generate a lot of money for so many folks in need. Interesting stats from this week’s event: an auction item of two floor seats to attend a UF hoops game with Young and having dinner with him fetched $2,750, while a Tim Tebow signed jersey sold for $600.

The tragic death last week of veteran soccer journalist Grant Wahl, 49, while covering the World Cup match between the Netherlands and Argentina is a huge loss for anyone who had a passion for the sport. Wahl had been feeling ill and got treated at a Qatar medical clinic, then ended up collapsing four days later in the press box. Wahl’s beat work was as impressive as any writer covering any sport. RIP, Grant.

In my view, there were two most deserving Heisman Trophy recipients and I didn’t pick the winner. My ballot: 1. Max Duggan, TCU; 2. Caleb Williams, USC; 3. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee. Williams won in a landslide.

While it’s terrible that the Biden administration was not allowed to negotiate with Russia for the release of Marine veteran Paul Whelan, that should not be used as a criticism as to why the U.S. traded WNBA star Britney Griner for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, the so-called “Merchant of Death.” Hopefully, Whelan does return to America soon, but people should at least be happy Griner is back home.

Fun fact: Seven different coaches — Don Shula, Dan Reeves, Bill Parcells, Dick Vermeil, Mike Holmgren, John Fox and Andy Reid — have taken two different teams to the Super Bowl. None have won it with both. Pederson and Cowboys’ coach Mike McCarthy, who square off Sunday, are the only NFL coaches currently in position to accomplish that feat. 

Pigskin forecast

Jaguars over Dallas Cowboys by 3 (anti-letdown prescriptions); Los Angeles Chargers over Tennessee Titans by 7 (Jaguars’ bear-hugs); Cincinnati Bengals over Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 7 (QB torch passings); Buffalo Bills over Miami Dolphins by 10 (bandwagon exits); New England Patriots over Las Vegas Raiders by 1 (teacher-student lesson); Detroit Lions over New York Jets by 4 (Dan Campbell buy-ins); Oregon State over Florida by 7 (attrition calculators).

Last week: 6 right, 1 Cowboys-fans-infested Bank environment.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Gene Frenette: Let Jaguars fans revel being in December playoff talk