5 NFL teams that lost Week 1 and will make the playoffs

3. Jacksonville Jaguars

While I’d consider the first two teams on this list locks for the NFL Playoffs, it starts to get a bit tricky from here. But I really like the Jacksonville Jaguars and they certainly gave the Green Bay Packers all they could handle in their season opener at EverBank Field on Sunday afternoon.

One of the biggest advantages Jacksonville has is playing in the AFC South. The Texans beat up on an average Bears team on Sunday and were the only team in the division to open with a victory. The Colts are going to score points but they’re also going to give up a ton, much like what happened against the Lions, and the Titans just aren’t quite ready to take that next step. The Jags could be ready, however.

Jacksonville has found a star in quarterback Blake Bortles, who went a solid 24-for-39 with 320 yards and a touchdown in the loss, and also threw an interception that wasn’t his fault at all as the ball was bobbled by Marqise Lee right into the hands of Green Bay linebacker Joe Thomas. The offense was efficient against a good Packers defense but Jacksonville has to get better in the red zone if they want to compete at that next level.

Much like the Colts, the problem won’t be scoring points but will be allowing more than they score. A season ago, the Jags put up nearly 24 points per game while giving up 28. And what was the final score on Sunday? 27-23, which is just about on par from 2015 but let’s get real. There was absolutely nothing they could do about that Aaron Rodgers touchdown pass at the end of the first half. Jacksonville is on the rise and could slide into the playoffs as the AFC South champions.

The Jaguars will hit the West Coast on Sunday to battle the 0-1 San Diego Chargers.

Next: New York Jets