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Jourdan Lewis Admits the AFC South Did the Jaguars a Favor During Their Bye Week
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- Jourdan Lewis Admits the AFC South Did the Jaguars a Favor During Their Bye Week
Nobody on the Jacksonville Jaguars had to lift a finger in Week 7 for the AFC South race to tilt their way, and Jourdan Lewis isn't pretending otherwise. While the Jaguars rested, Indianapolis, Houston and Tennessee all lost, a Sunday we already broke down as the Jaguars winning the bye week .
Back at the Miller Electric Center on Monday, the veteran cornerback was blunt about it. "The AFC South helped us," Lewis said, according to Jaguars.com . "We're still No. 1 in the division."
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Lewis wants no skids in November
Oct 9, 2026; Watford, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen during practice at The Grove. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesKirby Lee-Imagn Images
Lewis also framed the cushion as something Jacksonville can lose if it gets loose. "We're just trying to make sure we don't have any skids to where we let anybody get the opportunity to take that from us," he said.
That cushion is real. Jacksonville sits 2.5 games clear of the 2-5 Colts and 2-5 Texans and 3.5 ahead of 1-6 Tennessee, even after the 34-31 loss to Houston at Wembley. Houston fell 27-21 in overtime to the Giants, Tennessee lost 27-24 to Cleveland and the Colts dropped a 16-10 game in Minnesota. Liam Coen, who admitted "I couldn't sleep last night" before returning to the building, saw the same lesson. "Six weeks in, and you see all the stuff that happens on any given Sunday – specifically within our division –" Coen said, adding that it "should only allow you to have a mindset and a mentality to come in here and attack this thing."
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Lewis has backed up the talk on the field. He has two interceptions and 19 tackles through six games, according to Pro Football Reference, though his PFF coverage grade sits at 54.8 with an 89.6 passer rating allowed. He is one of the reasons Jacksonville has allowed just 104 points, third fewest in the league. The pass defense is another story, which is why Eric Murray spent the bye explaining a 320 yards a game stretch over three weeks.
Why the Colts game matters most
Oct 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) rushes the ball against the Minnesota Vikings in the second half at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
Indianapolis arrives at EverBank Stadium as the easiest place for a skid to start, since a loss would cut the lead to 1.5 games. Daniel Jones has four touchdown passes, seven interceptions and 19 sacks taken in seven starts, which gives a Jacksonville front with 11 sacks a chance to find a pass rush . Jonathan Taylor, who ran for 95 yards in Minnesota, will test a run defense that has allowed only 3.2 yards per carry.
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Jacksonville has won 11 straight home games against the Colts, according to Jaguars.com. The Jaguars also will have Walker Little at left tackle after Anton Harrison's ACL tear , with cornerback Montaric Brown and safety Antonio Johnson still listed as "TBD" by Coen. Lewis put it plainly Monday. The division handed Jacksonville a cushion, and the Jaguars' job is to stop anyone else from taking advantage of a slip.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
