Could the 7-8 Jaguars actually rest their starters in Week 17?

It sounds a little absurd. A team that’s below .500 and hasn’t clinched a thing resting their starters in a regular season game that isn’t even the last on the schedule? But somehow, the Jacksonville Jaguars may have good reason to sit their starters in a Week 17 game against the Houston Texans next week.

By the time the Jaguars step on the field against the Texans in that contest, the Tennessee Titans will have already played two games. The Titans will face the Texans on Saturday before meeting the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.

If Tennessee loses one or both of those games, the Jaguars and Titans will duel for the AFC South title in Week 18. It wouldn’t matter if the Jaguars are 8-8 after rolling through the Texans or 7-9 after laying down.

Seeding won’t be on the line either. The AFC East, AFC West, and AFC North all have leaders with double-digit wins that can’t be caught by the Jaguars.

If the Titans lose one of their next two, the only thing that would make a Jaguars win in Week 17 matter is the chase for a wild card berth. For now, that race looks like this:

1. Baltimore Ravens: 9-5
2. Los Angeles Chargers: 8-6
3. Miami Dolphins: 8-6
4. New England Patriots: 7-7
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: 7-8

If the Jaguars win their next two, they’ll be AFC South champions and the wild card won’t matter. That race is only consequential if Jacksonville wins in Week 17 and somehow earns a spot after losing in Week 18.

But that backdoor scenario disappears if the Chargers and Dolphins each win at least one of their next three games. Miami is hosting the Green Bay Packers on Sunday and Los Angeles is traveling to play the Indianapolis Colts on Monday.

If the Titans, Chargers, and Dolphins all lose in the next week, there’s really no reason for the suddenly banged up Jaguars to pass on the opportunity to heal up in Week 17.