Jacksonville Jaguars Week 16 Stock Report

The Jacksonville Jaguars are reeling after a dismal 23-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but they still somehow have life left in the season, even at 5-9. It's not completely in their hands, but if the Jaguars win the final two weeks, they should have a chance at winning the AFC South.

The entire team's stock is down after last weekend's loss, but some decent performances and continued success deserve recognition, such as the Jaguars' consistent and dominant play in rush defense.

But for all the good that has come out of this season, plenty of mistakes and issues have plagued this team, and both sides of the ball have failed to overcome most of those errors.

Being in a relevant situation this late in the season is nice for the Jaguars, but they shouldn't be holding on by a thread—they should be going head-to-head with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts or possibly leading. 

Whatever happens in the final weeks, there's no doubt the Jaguars have underperformed in a year that could have been one of their best chances to snag the AFC South title. But this is the situation they are in, and they still have hope if they can execute.

Julius Thomas Continues His Great Play, Sees a Stock Rise

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Fans met tight end Julius Thomas with excitement and caution when he arrived in Jacksonville, and for good reason. It wouldn't be the first time a "star" player failed to execute upon changing locations, and the first half of the season agreed with that narrative.

But Thomas has been a completely different player over the past five weeks or so, or should I say the same player we saw with the Denver Broncos? He's consistently one of quarterback Blake Bortles' favorite targets, and it's currently producing results. 

His six catches for 79 yards this past weekend just continued his improved impact, and the Jaguars are finding that Thomas can also be a consistent target for possession and conversion, not just a red-zone playmaker.

The Jaguars have needed Thomas to play better on the field to help the offense produce and to also get their money's worth. They dropped a significant amount of money for Thomas, $24 million guaranteed, and seeing a return on that investment makes the early struggle much easier to swallow.

Thomas will continue to be a key factor in the final two games, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Bortles look to the tight end even more in the coming weeks.

Telvin Smith Stumbles Early, Sees a Slight Stock Decrease

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Telvin Smith salvaged a decent performance Sunday, but it took a while for the tenacious, quick sophomore linebacker to find his stride. For whatever reason, he missed tackles and got beaten in coverage a couple of times.

He bounced back in the second half with a few big plays, but the Falcons don't have much to worry about when it comes to Smith. He's been one of the best defensive playmakers the Jaguars defense has had this season, but it didn't show against Atlanta.

It's fine for Smith to have an off-game every once in a while, especially considering he's a sophomore. The fifth-round 2014 NFL draft pick has quickly bloomed into a defensive terror, but he took a small step backward this past weekend.

With the season still alive, Smith will look to bounce back and return to the near-elite level of play he's reached at various points this season. He's one of the Jaguars' most important players, and his response to this past week will be a major factor.

Defensive Interior Executes, Deserves Stock Raise

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

The Jaguars have had one of the NFL's best run defenses this season, and it's a shame better play against the pass hasn't matched the dominance against the run, but that's a topic for another article.

The defensive interior may deserve the most credit. Defensive tackles Roy Miller, Abry Jones, Michael Bennett and Tyson Alualu have been pillars in run defense, and they've done well without fellow defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks for most of the season.

The latest performance again Falcons running back Devonta Freeman was especially strong, and when you consider Freeman's early success in the game, stopping him from really causing problems was a valiant effort.

Freeman only averaged 2.2 yards per carry, a full two yards below his season average of 4.2. One of the NFL's most promising running backs couldn't find holes in the Jaguars defense, and that forced the Falcons to rely on the success of QB Matt Ryan.

Ryan didn't have much trouble obviously, but you can't put the blame on the defensive tackles. They did their job, ate up space and made things more difficult for the Falcons. 

Denard Robinson Struggles Under Starting Weight, Gets a Stock Dip

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Running back Denard Robinson has dazzled fans with an impressive turnaround from his rough rookie season in 2013, mostly thanks to better physical condition, vision that has quickly found holes and opportunities, and quick, decisive cuts that you want to see from an NFL back.

However, Sunday was a bit of a letdown. He never was able to bust out a big run, and he struggled with the increased workload and attention from the opposing defense. Backups are dangerous due to lack of respect, and it's possible to think that Robinson benefited from that.

No one can fault his effort, though. Robinson was still looking to finish runs, and despite averaging two yards per carry, it was actually a good showing of how he has gotten more physical and is becoming a standard running back in the process.

Robinson certainly has a role with the Jaguars, but at the moment, it doesn't include being a starter. The Jaguars learned that harsh lesson Sunday, and they'll hope that typical starter T.J. Yeldon can return this weekend.

Marqise Lee Creates Two Big Plays, Earns a Cautious Stock Raise

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

Wide receiver Marqise Lee has been mildly disappointing since his arrival in Jacksonville in 2014, and the only reason it hasn't been worse is due to the incredible play of Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns.

But Lee did have his best game of the season this past Sunday, bringing down two catches for 46 yards. That's not a lot of receptions, but considering he only saw two targets, those two catches mean even more.

Lee's struggles are partly due to the fact that he's had an uncomfortable time coming back into the offense after his hamstring injury. Dropped balls and missed connections have likely disrupted Lee and Bortles' rapport, and that shows in his lack of targets.

But bringing down both of his targets, both of which were relatively big plays, should do something to help Bortles' confidence in Lee and hopefully help the wide receiver resume some type of greater responsibility in the offense.

Lee's season won't be a major success, but staying healthy the final two games and possibly getting more involved with the offense will help start a foundation for next season.

All stats provided by ESPN.com unless otherwise stated.

Evan Reier is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the Jacksonville Jaguars. Follow Evan on Twitter @evanreier.