Jack Del Rio calls him “clutch,” as in “I can't say enough about Byron; how clutch he played today. He's incredible. He's so calm. He's just a clutch player.”

One thing I’ll grant you about Leftwich is that this year he hasn’t gotten the team beat, and he’s calm, even when the chips are down. But he hasn’t done anything heroic except keep his wits about him at the end of a football game. Analyzing the final drive, Leftwich threw one significant pass that was complete, a 3rd and 9, 15-yard out to Jimmy Smith that resulted in a first down with just over four minutes to play. Outside of that, an offsides penalty and a pass interference call were equally significant in keeping the Jaguars final drive alive. So, in other words, Leftwich is part of the “team” success the Jaguars have had through three games.

I’m not being a naysayer, just trying to be realistic.

The Jaguars defense has been phenomenal, again holding an opponent to some early field goals and not letting the game get away from them. Rashean Mathis had an entire season’s worth of highlights in one game with an interception and some big tackles on key plays. He’s showing why he’s now so coveted by other teams in the league as an athletic cornerback who can cover in space and play the run.

Except for in one drive late in the game, Marcus Stroud and John Henderson did their job in the middle of the line, staying in Steve McNair’s face and not allowing him to take off and beat them with his running ability. He’s been the Jaguars’ nemisis, especially on third down, but this time, he didn’t hurt them by coverting key third downs running the football (except for in the Titans’ final drive.) And Chris Hanson is keeping the field position battle in the Jaguars favor most of the time, once again proving that he might be the most valuable player (their only Pro Bowler) on the team.

Earlier this week, Jack Del Rio said two games was not a big enough body of work to judge the Jaguars or any team on when it comes to the big picture. That probably still holds true after three games, but a trend is certainly showing itself. The Jaguars are a team built on defense and special teams and they’re getting just enough offense to win. It’s a formula that’s worked in the league in the past, most notably in Baltimore in 2000, a team where Del Rio was an assistant coach.

As they build, you’d expect them to get better in all phases of the game, with the greatest improvement coming on offense. They’ve gotten through a few tests, winning on the road, coming from behind, and vanquishing a demon. The next opponent, Indianapolis, poses a whole different kind of threat with a high powered offense that doesn’t rely on the ground game. How the Jaguars matchup against the Colts next Sunday will give us another clue into their development and how quickly they can turn into a true elite contender in the league.