The AFC East Team Keeping Jaguars From Even-Steven Status

The all-time record in Jacksonville professional football since 1995 is a losing one, and it has been well documented at 202-282. Most divisions, except for the AFC North, have thoroughly owned the Black and Teal. But there's another division in the American Football Conference that they have been almost "Even Steven" against, with one recently historic team as the exception to the rule.

At a record of 28 wins against 37 losses, it would seem like the AFC East falls in line with the AFC West and their own division, the AFC South. However, a deeper dive shows that not necessarily the case. The New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills do not present the problems that the New England Patriots have, since almost ever.

Sure, everybody knows the story of the Patriots of the new millennium. Fortunes may be down now, but they ran roughshod over pretty much every team in the past quarter of a century, especially the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Until 2018, the Patriots had defeated the Northern Florida franchise in every single regular-season game that the two teams engaged in since the first meeting in 1996, an overtime affair that served as a preview of that season's conference title match. The AFC Championship Game was also won by New England.

At only 3-12 versus the juggernauts that are the Pats, it hasn't been pretty. It could be on the upside, though, as the Jaguars have taken two of the past three meetings with their oppressors from Foxborough, including a 32-16 win last October.

Despite the nine-game disadvantage against New England, fortunes have been at .500 when it comes to the other three dwellers of the East. There's one team that the Jags have played the most in their 30-year history.

That team is the Buffalo Bills, and courtesy of the postseason and occupying the same place in their respective division standings, the two clubs have met on 20 separate occasions, splitting the slate right down the middle. Important to note, though, is the fact that the Jaguars have won both playoff games against Buffalo and three of the last five meetings between the two.

In the third game of their existence, the Jaguars fell to the Jets, but then captured six of the next eight from 1999-2009, before a four-game skid over the next six seasons. But since 2018, the "Big Cats" have grounded the Jets in three of their past five. The two franchises play this season, making it so Liam Coen and his squad will have a chance to leave Week 15 with a 10-9 series advantage.

The Miami Dolphins also stand even with their state counterparts at 6-6. Like in many cases, "Sacksonville" spiraled downward after beating the Phins in their first two games, including a titanic drubbing in the playoffs on January 15th of 2000. It wasn't a pleasant swan song for the legendary Dan Marino, his last appearance ever. The Jags stumbled in last season's opener vs. Miami, but have won three of the last five between the two.

The Jets are the only of the four on the schedule; however, should the planets align just right, series tiebreakers could occur in the postseason for two of the other three. A reinvigorated troupe featuring Trevor Lawrence and Josh Hines-Allen leading their respective units would find the prospect of the postseason quite appealing.

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