The Jacksonville Jaguars have been navigating some turbulence the last few weeks. Luckily, they were able to stabilize in Week 17 by crushing the hapless Carolina Panthers 26-0, thanks to a big performance from Travis Etienne. But before that, the Jaguars had lost four straight games and their stranglehold on the AFC South division all of a sudden began to loosen. They still sit in pole position for the division, but they also could have already sealed the deal and won the division weeks ago.

Instead, the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans have hope. Whoever wins the battle between those two on Saturday not only will clinch a playoff spot, but could have a shot at winning the division. But they'd need help from the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville's opponent this week. This division is still the Jags' to lose. There are two reasons why that is the case.

All the Jaguars have to do is beat the Titans

As mentioned earlier, the Colts or Texans still theoretically could win the AFC South. The only issue is the only way they can is if the Titans beat or tie with the Jaguars. That… doesn't seem very likely.

For all the turbulence the Jaguars have been through the last few weeks, the Titans have lost three straight and nine of their last 12 games. While their shocking upset win over the Miami Dolphins is worth celebrating, their other wins have come at the hands of the mediocre Atlanta Falcons and the bottom-dwelling Carolina Panthers. The Titans have also exceeded 20 points only three times in that 12-game stretch. On top of that, rumors are flying that this might be the last game that head coach Mike Vrabel coaches for the Titans.

This is a matchup that the Jaguars should win, and win handily. Vegas thinks so, too. They have the Jaguars pegged as 5.5-point road favorites. That's a hefty margin for a team on the road. The Jaguars just have to handle business and win the division. That's it. They don't need any outside help unlike the Colts or Texans. If they win, they get a home playoff team. That helps their odds of winning the division exponentially.

The Jaguars might get Christian Kirk

Luckily for the Jaguars, help might be on the way. Christian Kirk got hurt on the first offensive play of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, so he has basically missed the entirety of the Jaguars' four-game losing streak and the match where that streak ended last week against the Panthers. Perhaps Kirk's absence was the reason for their skid. The Jaguars' offense, and most importantly Trevor Lawrence, has been much more efficient with Kirk on the field and available compared to the last five weeks when he has been absent.

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Christian Kirk's absence hasn't been the only reason for the Jaguars' recent struggles, but he certainly has been a factor, and his potential return would be a massive boost.

Lawrence has completed 57.4 percent of his passes without Kirk and 67.9 percent of his passes with the wide receiver in the lineup. The Jaguars averaged only 18 points without him and averaged 23.8 points with him. That is a massive difference. His return would be a great boost against a team that ranks 30th in the NFL in EPA allowed per dropback this season. The Jags could beat the Titans without Kirk, but getting him back can only help their chances.