Seahawks Game Day Newsletter 8 Dec 10th Seattle_digital | Page 61

THE SEAHAWKS
IN MIDST OF PLAYOFF PUSH, JAGUARS WELCOME NFC POWER-
HOUSE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS TO EVERBANK FIELD
JACKSONVILLE – This is what the NFL is all
about.
Meaningful December football. A huge game
against a perennial powerhouse. The game
fl exed to a later television window to get
more viewers throughout the country.
Today the Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4) host the
Seattle Seahawks (8-4) at 4:25 p.m.
The last time these teams met in 2013, the
Seahawks were 19.5-point favorites at home
against a Jaguars organization that had
undergone a full makeover in the offseason
before. After leading 24-0 at halftime, the
Seahawks won the game easily 45-17.
That seems like a long time ago in more ways
than one.
Today, the Jaguars can take another step
toward their fi rst playoff appearance since
the 2007 season with a huge win over one of
the great organizations in the NFL over the
last decade.
Get rowdy. Enjoy it. It’s been a long time
coming.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
The Tennessee Titans lead the AFC South by
virtue of an earlier head-to-head win over
the Jaguars. Both teams sit at 8-4, and they
will meet in Week 17 at Nissan Stadium in
Nashville, Tennessee. If the season ended
today, the Jaguars would hold the No. 5 seed
in the AFC, and visit the Kansas City Chiefs
(6-6) in a Wild Card Playoff game.
If the Jaguars overtake the Titans for the
AFC South title, the Jaguars would host an
AFC playoff game. For a fi rst-round bye, the
Jaguars must overtake either the Patriots or
Steelers.
Other teams still in the hunt for the postseason
with 6-6 records include the Los Angeles
Chargers, Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders.
THE DEFENSE
The story of the 2017 Jaguars is dominated
by the top-ranked defense – and if you do not
realize it, they will soon tell you about it.
The numbers are staggering: a league-best six
defensive touchdowns. A total of 27 takeaways,
the second-best total in the league. A league-
best 45 sacks.
The Jags also rank No. 1 in points per game,
total yards, yards per play, passing net yards
and passing net yards per play.
Last week, the Jaguars sacked Colts quarterback
Jacoby Brissett four times, increasing the
NFL-leading sack total, but the individual
milestones are starting to come along with it
as well.
With a sack last week against the Colts,
defensive end Calais Campbell increased his
sack total to 12.5 and surpassed the Jaguars’
single-season sack record (Tony Brackens, 12.0
in 1999). Campbell’s total is currently third-
best in the NFL in 2017, only 1.0 sack behind
Demarcus Lawrence of the Dallas Cowboys
(13.5).
Campbell might not hold the franchise single-
season record for long, as defensive end
Yannick Ngakoue sits right behind him at 10.0
sacks in 2017.