The Jacksonville Jaguars have had their Super Bowl odds halved to 11/1 after beating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The Jaguars were just three minutes from the Super Bowl before Brady engineered a superb comeback in the AFC Championship game in January, but Jacksonville were in no mood to let them off the hook this time.
The Jags are now 11/1 to win the Super Bowl having been priced up at 22/1 at the start of the season, while they’re now odds-on to win the AFC South.
Jacksonville emerged as 31-20 winners as they maintained their aggressive play calling throughout the game this time – with Blake Bortles throwing four TD passes to four different receivers in a brilliant performance.
Brady still managed 234 yards and two TDs but it was not enough and although it’s early in the season the result could still have a real say in the AFC play-off picture this season.
The Jags now own a tie-breaker over the Patriots and in the play-off shake-up things like seeding, first round byes and home field advantage could well end up being decided by that one victory.
Win over the Patriots gives Jaguars that extra belief
Perhaps even better than any possible play-off implications is the extra belief a win over the famed Brady-led Patriots will give this young, hungry Jaguars side.
The manner of their AFC title defeat may have left a big doubt in their mind that they could actually take down one of the big boys when it mattered, but finally beating Brady at the ninth attempt will help their confidence levels no end.
In a few months’ time the team could be looking back at the landmark win as the one that sparked another big challenge to the Super Bowl.
The nature of the victory will also serve Jacksonville well, especially the play calling of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett who continued to trust Bortles to throw the ball and play aggressively right to the end.
Everyone’s heard about the famed ‘Sacksonville’ defence – it’s jam-packed with Pro Bowlers and may just be the best in the NFL, but they’ll need to score vital points and vital times to go that extra mile.
That comes from the offence, and with Bortles making play after play on Sunday and Jacksonville finally getting the ‘W’ over Brady and the Patriots, there’s high hopes in Florida that they could now go all the way.
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