By: Michael Spiers

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 3-1, and that is not something a lot of people saw coming after last year’s mess of a season.

Just a few months ago this was a 4-13 team that looked lost. Now they’ve knocked off the San Francisco 49ers 26-21, and the big question is whether this start is the real deal or just an early season tease.

What stood out against San Francisco is how complete the win was.

The defense, under new coordinator Anthony Campanile, is playing with swagger. They already have more takeaways in four games than all of last season, and they held one of the toughest offenses in football to just one touchdown in three trips to the red zone. That does not happen by accident.

On offense, the Jaguars are still figuring things out under Liam Coen, but they are starting to look dangerous. The run game has been steady, piling up over 150 yards against the 49ers. Travis Etienne keeps finding room to run, and that all goes back to the offensive line.

A year ago, that group was a punchline. Now they are the backbone of this team.

The line has allowed just three sacks through four games. Last year by this point, Trevor Lawrence had already been sacked 13 times. On Sunday, he wasn’t touched once. Zero sacks, zero hits.

That is unheard of against a 49ers front that usually lives in the backfield.

The Jags front office deserves a ton credit for rebuilding that unit and adding depth. Even when starters went down, the backups have stepped in and the offense hasn’t missed a beat.

Lawrence did not put up crazy numbers to be sure, but you could see how comfortable he was. He controlled the game, made smart decisions, and spread the ball around.

Second year wideout Brian Thomas Jr. had his best game yet. Brenton Strange chipped in as a do-everything tight end, and special teams made big plays with Bhayshul Tuten’s kick return and Parker Washington’s punt return. It was a full team effort.

The defense has its own standouts. Devin Lloyd looks like a man on a mission in a contract year, and Dennis Gardeck has been one of those hidden gems who makes plays all over the place.

Even with injuries to Travon Walker, Anton Harrison, and Eric Murray during the game, they held strong. Stopping San Francisco in the red zone was the difference in the game.

Now, it’s not all sunshine. The Jaguars are still way too sloppy with penalties.

They’ve been flagged more than any team in the league so far, and the offensive line has been guilty of too many false starts and holding calls.

Third down has also been a problem, with too many drives stalling out because they’re playing behind the sticks. Those are things that have to get cleaned up if they want to hang with the big boys.

So, are the Jaguars for real? At this point, it sure feels like it.

The defense is creating turnovers, the run game is consistent, the offensive line is dominating, and Lawrence looks like he has full control of the offense. This isn’t the same old Jags that collapsed when things got tough.

This team looks tougher, deeper, and more confident.

The real measuring stick comes next Monday night when the defending AFC champion Chiefs come into Duval.

If Jacksonville can handle the stage, clean up the mistakes, and keep winning at the line of scrimmage, then this 3-1 start might not be just smoke and mirrors.

It’s the sign that the Jaguars might finally be a team to take seriously.