In a twist that no one could have expected, the Jacksonville Jaguars are leading the way in the AFC South two weeks into the 2022 season. Not only are they leading their division, they are also the only team in their division that has won a game so far this season. Maybe that's a testament to how bad the AFC South is, but either way, it's a pretty unexpected turn of events to start the season.

After nearly pulling off an upset of the Washington Commanders to open the season, the Jaguars mopped the floor with the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, showing that they are indeed for real this year. It's still very early in the season, but given all the turnover in Indianapolis and on the Tennessee Titans, the door is wide open for Jacksonville to surprisingly emerge as the team to beat in the AFC South.

But where is this coming from? Even with some improvements made this offseason and a new coaching regime, nobody really expected much from Jacksonville this season. A big reason is because of this surprise X-factor who has shown up in a big way on offense for the Jags, and has powered their offense through two weeks of the season. Let's pick out this X-factor and examine his impact on Jacksonville so far.

Jaguars surprise X-factor: Christian Kirk

One of the more surprising moves of the offseason involved the Jaguars signing former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk to a massive four-year, $72 million contract. Many panned the move, as Kirk was being paid like a top wide receiver despite never being more than a second wide receiver during his time with the Cardinals. And when he filled in for DeAndre Hopkins as their top option, he often struggled to make his mark on games.

Kirk was coming off the best season of his career in 2021 (77 REC, 982 YDS, 5 TD) but it still seemed like a pretty drastic overpay from a team desperate to get their young quarterback Trevor Lawrence some pass-catching talent. Kirk was good, but he was likely not worth the amount of money Jacksonville was paying him.

Through two weeks of the season Kirk has put that criticism to rest. Kirk has been the Jaguars best wide receiver to open the season, hauling in 12 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns to open the season. Those numbers also put Kirk among the top wide receivers in the league, as his 195 yards receiving are currently the seventh most in the entire league.

To say Kirk's performance is a surprise is an understatement. He opened the season with a six-catch, 117 yard performance against the Commanders, and clearly cemented himself as Lawrence's favorite target. For what it's worth, Kirk only had four games during his four seasons with Arizona where he eclipsed 100 receiving yards in a game, and he did it on his first try with Jacksonville.

Against the Colts, Kirk was even better, as he hauled in six passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Again, Kirk had only four games during his first four seasons with the Cardinals where he had multiple touchdowns in a game, and he ended up pulling off the feat in just his second game with his new team.

Kirk is the top wide receiver that Jacksonville needed to open up their offense. Lawrence is more comfortable under center knowing he can turn to Kirk, and the dynamic running back duo of Travis Etienne Jr. and James Robinson have had more room to run on the ground as a result of the improved passing game.

While Kirk has been successful early on, he may face some more challenging matchups in the future. His next two matchups will be against J.C. Jackson of the Los Angeles Chargers and Darius Slay of the Philadelphia Eagles. Jackson is one of the best ballhawks in the NFL, and Slay just spent his last game locking up Minnesota Vikings star wideout Justin Jefferson, arguably the top wide receiver in the entire league.

It's no surprise that the Jaguars offense has looked much more lethal this season now that Kirk is onboard. Giving Lawrence a top tier target has helped open things up in a way that was simply impossible last season. And now, Jacksonville looks like a team that could surprisingly end up making some noise this season.

It's still early, and teams will begin to adapt to Kirk and his impact with Jacksonville, but for now, it's clear he's been the team's most surprising X-factor through the first two weeks of the season. If he can continue to play at this high level, the Jaguars could very well end up making a surprise run for the top spot in the AFC South this season.