Just as the Jaguars were in control of their own destiny to win the AFC South, their future got a bit murkier when star QB Trevor Lawrence went down with an ankle injury on "Monday Night Football."
Backup QB C.J. Beathard did his best to put Jacksonville in a position to win against the Bengals, but the Jaguars ultimately fell on a game-winning field goal in overtime to drop to 8-4 on the season.
All of a sudden, Jacksonville's clear path to the AFC South title is a rocky road. Their claim to the first-round bye in the AFC is also now an uphill battle.
MORE: Latest injury updates on Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence
How does the AFC and AFC South playoff picture look following the Jaguars' primetime loss? The Sporting News takes a closer look below.
AFC South standings
| Rank | Team | Record | Division Record |
| 1 | Jaguars | 8-4 | 4-1 |
| 2 | Colts | 7-5 | 3-2 |
| 3 | Texans | 7-5 | 1-2 |
| 4 | Titans | 4-8 | 0-3 |
The Jaguars have a one-game lead over the Colts and Texans, but both teams picked up major wins in Week 13 while Jacksonville dropped its matchup to the Bengals.
The Jaguars are still in the driver's seat in the AFC South with a 4-1 record against their division opponents. They have already defeated the Colts twice and they split their matchups with the Texans. Jacksonville won its first game against the Titans and has another meeting on the books in Week 18.
Indianapolis only has one more AFC South matchup — a massive Week 18 battle with Houston. The Texans still have two matchups with the Titans before their final game against the Colts.
As follows, Tennessee has two games against the Texans and one game against the Jaguars.
According to Tankathon, the Titans have the fourth-toughest remaining schedule in the NFL. The Colts have the 15th-toughest remaining schedule, while the Texans and Jaguars have the seventh and sixth-easiest remaining schedules, respectively.
AFC playoff picture
| Rank | Team | Record | Tiebreaker |
| 1 | Dolphins* | 9-3 | Wins tiebreaker over BAL on AFC win pct. |
| 2 | Ravens* | 9-3 | — |
| 3 | Chiefs* | 8-4 | Wins tiebreaker over JAX on H2H win pct. |
| 4 | Jaguars* | 8-4 | — |
| 5 | Steelers | 7-5 | Wins tiebreaker over IND on win pct. in common games. Division tiebreakers has PIT over CLE. |
| 6 | Browns | 7-5 | Wins tiebreaker over IND on H2H win pct. |
| 7 | Colts | 7-5 | Wins tiebreaker over HOU on H2H win pct. |
| — | Texans | 7-5 | — |
| — | Broncos | 6-6 | Wins tiebreaker over CIN on AFC win pct. Wins tiebreaker over BUF on H2H win pct. |
| — | Bengals | 6-6 | Wins tiebreaker over BUF on H2H win pct. |
| — | Bills | 6-6 | — |
*Indicates division leaders
The Jaguars would still be a top-four seed as the AFC South winner if the season ended today, but the Chiefs have the upper hand after beating Jacksonville in Week 2.
They still have an outside chance to top Kansas City, Baltimore and Miami, but that task gets a lot more difficult with Lawrence's impending injury.
The Jaguars do have a head-to-head matchup with the Ravens in Week 15, though, giving them a chance to leap Baltimore. That could also, however, be an opportunity for the Colts and Texans to improve their AFC South chances if Jacksonville can't knock off one of the AFC's top teams.
