Lawrence playing like No. 1, Wilson playing like No. 2

Just as we all thought: a late December game between the Jaguars and Jets holds massive postseason implications ...

The Jets will be rudely reminded that they drafted second in 2021

Trevor Lawrence has been the belle of the ball since he entered Clemson in 2018. Billed as a can't-miss prospect the likes the league hasn't seen since Andrew Luck or Peyton Manning, franchises were licking their chops to own the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and the rights to chart a course toward competitive relevance for the next decade-plus.

The two leading teams were the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars, and it appeared the Jets had Lawrence in their sights, beginning the 2020 season 0-13. Unfortunately for the Jets, they proceeded to inexplicably pull off two straight wins over the Rams and Browns, two playoff teams. This surge in on-field success allowed the Jaguars to leapfrog them in the draft order, and the rest is history: Jacksonville took Lawrence, and New York settled for BYU's Zach Wilson.

Tonight, these two will face off for the second time in their career, the first of which was a 26-21 Jets win last year.

After a rocky rookie year, Lawrence has started backing up to the hype. Jacksonville has won three of its last five games, including wins over the Ravens, Titans, and Cowboys. During this stretch, Lawrence has thrown for 1,445 yards, 13 touchdowns, and just one interception. On a per-game basis over his last five, his yardage is fifth-highest in the NFL and no quarterback has thrown for more touchdowns.

We're seeing Lawrence turn a corner in front of our eyes, and it's best we trust what we're seeing. Jacksonville is playing better football as a team, can steal the AFC South from Tennessee if they win out, and they have a quarterback performing at an elite level.

The latter point certainly cannot be said for Wilson and the Jets, who appear to be heading to an early divorce. Our choice for tonight is simple.

Jaguars Moneyline (+110 PointsBet)

In the news ...

Ryan Tannehill expected to be out for the season — Sources are reporting that Titans QB is "very likely" to be shut down for the season. This would hand the starting keys to rookie Malik Willis with three games to go and just a one-game lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the division. The news has flipped the betting market; the Jaguars are now -145 to win the division and the Titans are +115.

Eagles lead the way with eight Pro Bowlers — Pro Bowl rosters were announced on Wednesday night, and it's the 13-1 Eagles pacing the group, with eight players named to the roster. After Philadelphia, it's Dallas and Kansas City who each had seven players honored, followed by the Ravens and 49ers with six apiece. Click here for the full Pro Bowl roster.

Zach LaVine and the Bulls rumored to be on the outs —This disappointing season from Chicago has yielded some frustration in the building, with All-Star Zach LaVine not currently on the same page with the organization. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that LaVine and the Bulls aren't seeing eye-to-eye, which could lead to Chicago moving one of their best players before the Feb. 9 trade deadline.

Nick Foles to start for the Colts — It looks like the Matt Ryan experiment is over in Indy (for real this time). Interim head coach Jeff Saturday confirmed on Wednesday that the team would be going with Nick Foles on Monday against the Chargers, and for the rest of the season. With Jonathan Taylor shut down for the season, Indy is clearly doing all it can to move up the draft board in what is a loaded quarterback class. The two favorites to go No. 1 overall are both quarterbacks: Bryce Young (+130) and CJ Stroud (+195). The Colts at 4-9-1 likely won't be able to "catch" the 1-12-1 Texans, but a few more losses could move them into the top three.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll