The Jacksonville Jaguars care little that Indianapolis, Tennessee and Houston are crumbling around them.
It's no longer about the rest of the AFC South Division.
It's all about the Jaguars (7-5), the first-place Jaguars, the small-market Jaguars, the overlooked Jaguars, the unappreciated Jaguars.
Even though they're still struggling to sell tickets and might not have a single player voted to the Pro Bowl, the Jaguars have no identity issues and certainly no inferiority complex.
Not now. Not after winning for the fourth time in five games. Not after getting another strong performance from Maurice Jones-Drew and another stingy defensive effort. Not after taking over sole possession of first place in the division.
"This isn't about anyone but us," tight end Marcedes Lewis said. "We set our goals high before the season and we have a chance to make those a reality. We know what we have in this locker room, we know what we're putting on the field and we know what we're capable of."
There are still doubters, with some pointing to the deflected desperation pass that beat the Texans, the 59-yard field goal that upset the Colts or the improbable win against Cleveland that included six turnovers. Others recall the four losses early in the season by a combined 99 points or the fact that none of Jacksonville's victories came against teams that currently have winning records.
The Jaguars, though, have no such reservations about their position -- even though it's the first time since 1999 the franchise has been in first place this late in the season.
"We know the work that we've put in," coach Jack Del Rio said. "We understand the things that we're doing and it really doesn't matter if other people get it. I think for us we just want to stay with our nose to the grindstone, continue to work at it. We know we're an improving football team.
"We've got young guys that are starting to play with more confidence, and so we're a team that is getting better and we expect to play good football."
Jacksonville may have played its best in a 17-6 victory Sunday at Tennessee. The Jaguars handled the Titans on both lines of scrimmage, the kind of dominating performance Del Rio grew accustomed to seeing in 2005 and '07.
Jones-Drew ran 31 times for a career-high 186 yards, breaking tackles, keeping drives alive and demoralizing Tennessee with every yard. David Garrard was efficient, completing 14 of 19 passes for 126 yards and running for a touchdown. And the defense caused two turnovers, allowed just two third-down conversions and forced two field goals when the Titans got in the red zone.
"I like our physical approach," Del Rio said. "I like the fact that we're playing smart and tough football, not turning it over, very few penalties, those are things we're looking for. ... The team that controls the line of scrimmage wins the game a large percentage of the time."
The Jaguars played like that in 2005 and '07 and made the playoffs. They also faltered down the stretch in '06 and '09.
