Kevin McNamara: Time for Jaguars to play, not talk

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For a few years there the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos took turns challenging the throne. Ultimately both lacked staying power.

 Same goes with the Indianapolis Colts and Andrew Luck. The Pittsburgh Steelers always boast loads of talent but seem to mess things up come playoff time.

 Now we have the Jacksonville Jaguars. They’re making a claim – loudly – that they are the team that can ease the Patriots’ [...]

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For a few years there the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos took turns challenging the throne. Ultimately both lacked staying power.

 Same goes with the Indianapolis Colts and Andrew Luck. The Pittsburgh Steelers always boast loads of talent but seem to mess things up come playoff time.

 Now we have the Jacksonville Jaguars. They’re making a claim – loudly – that they are the team that can ease the Patriots’ strange-hold on the AFC.

 We’ll see about that.

 The Jags are indeed very good in 2018 and that’s why Sunday’s game at TIAA Bank Field owns so much buzz. With yappers like Jalen Ramsey leading the chorus, the Jags want to tell everyone just how dangerous they can be. That comes with a cost, however, and it’s time to put up or shut up.

 The Jaguars are under the gun in this Week 2 visit from Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and the boys. You want a chance to revenge last year’s AFC Championship give-away? You want to host this year’s final step towards a Super Bowl? Stake a claim and beat the Pats on your home field.

 Last Sunday Myles Jack was celebrating a season-opening win over the Giants at the Meadowlands when he uttered a few words that help put this game into a bit of perspective for anyone not living in Northeast Florida.

 “As soon as that clock hit double zero I was already thinking about New England,” Jack said. “I cannot wait for that game and I’m looking forward to Jacksonville being out there.”

 Welcome to the Patriots’ world. You leave Foxboro and you are everyone’s biggest game, the team everyone loves to hate. This is only September, the first road game of the season. But to many Jaguars and waves of their fans, this game is one of the biggest regular season contests in the franchise’s 24-year history.

 Winning franchises stack memories of great plays as the years roll by. Losing teams curse moments they’d prefer to forget.

 That’s where the Jags live right now. The team’s players, coaches and (most of all) fans insist they let their first Super Bowl appearance slip through their fingers last January in Foxboro. It’s tough to disagree.

 The Jags led the Pats, 20-10, early in the fourth quarter and were ready to apply the knockout punch but couldn’t conquer the football Gods. Star linebacker Jack had just tackled Dion Lewis and ripped the ball out of the back’s hands. The ball never appeared to touch the ground but as Jack jumped to his feet and began racing back up the field, the referees blew the play dead. A turnover, yes, but a potential game-breaking TD never materialized.

 “I called the league office,” team executive vice president Tom Coughlin told Sports Illustrated this summer, “and went over this for a hundredth time. Let. The. Play. Go.”

 No such luck. Like the roughing the passer penalty against the Raiders back in 1976 cursed Patriots fans, this call is haunting the Jaguars. Their offense couldn’t move the ball and when they punted back to the Patriots, Brady and Danny Amendola combined to make all the big plays and break Jacksonville’s heart.

 The Patriots rallied for a 24-20 victory but `Myles Jack wasn’t down’ quickly became a mantra among Jaguar faithful. Two local breweries named their latest suds with the phrase. T-shirts were printed. No one will forget.

 “I was just starting to forget about that play,” Jack said this week. “I can’t believe I have to relive that.”

 That’s the thing about a contender. They always live in the past until they knock off the champs. The Jaguars think they’re good and feel they’re right on the cusp of a Super Bowl. Now they have to muster the firepower to somehow send Brady and Bill Belichick into retirement.

 The first step is beating the Patriots in a September game that would own a much nicer sheen if it took place in December. By then we’ll know more about both teams. Can Blake Bortles really get the job done? Can the Jags back up their loose lips, especially talented cornerback Ramsey who said in the off-season “I don’t think Gronk is as great as people think he is.”

 Like every other NFL team, the Patriots are nowhere near where they need to be, or will become, by the time winter arrives. The usually buttoned-up Belichick is looking at a week where he’ll go to battle with one healthy, quality running back (James White) and hasn’t even identified a punt returner yet.

 Even so there is something on the line in this budding rivalry that may just be a preview of yet another AFC title game.

  “This team is very good, very talented and I'm sure playing them at home in their home opener this week, there will be a lot of energy in the stadium,” the coach said. “This will be a good test for us. We'll see where we're at. 

Maybe more importantly we'll also find out just where the Jaguars are at as well.