JACKSONVILLE – The season isn't over, and desire and drive remain.

The Jaguars will play host to the Minnesota Vikings at EverBank Stadium Sunday, and that was the message from the Jaguars this week – that despite a disappointing record, there is plenty of incentive entering a third game in as many weeks against an NFC contender.

"We're going to continue fight," tight end Evan Engram said.

Engram, a veteran and locker room leader, set the tone early in the week and others echoed that sentiment as the week continued. While the Jaguars after 9-8 finishes each of the past two seasons didn't expect the current 2-7 record, incentives such as pride and professionalism remain real as mid-November approaches.

"I just don't think you're going to throw in the towel," Head Coach Doug Pederson said. "That's not how I operate. It's not how these players have operated. You go into every football game trying to win that game."

The Vikings have more conventional incentive. After a 5-0 start to the season, they lost two games before a prime-time victory over the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday. They are 6-2, a game behind the division-leading Detroit Lions in the NFC North.

The Vikings need every victory possible in a competitive NFC. They're a strong defensive team with one of the NFL's best receivers, Justin Jefferson. Their quarterback, Sam Darnold, is reviving his career and is two touchdown passes from his career best of 19.

Nothing has been easy for the Jaguars recently. That won't change Sunday.

Here are 10 things the Jaguars must do to win:

1. Start fast. The Jaguars haven't scored a first-drive touchdown in 14 games. They have trailed 10-0 in each of their last three games, and are 1-2 in that span. Slow starts have defined much of the past three seasons.
2. Rally around the cause. The Jaguars were already thin, missing wide receiver Christian Kirk for the season and without left guard Ezra Cleveland and starting wide receiver Gabe Davis last week. Now, they're thin at the game's most important position with quarterback Trevor Lawrence unlikely to play Sunday because of a shoulder injury. This is Next Man Up, big time.
3. Finish. The Jaguars' season has been defined by close losses, with five of seven losses decided by five points or fewer in the final two minutes. That trend has continued in the last two weeks, with a 30-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers coming on the game's final play and quarterback Trevor Lawrence being intercepted in the final two minutes of a 28-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday. Good teams in the NFL win close games. The Jaguars must keep grinding to get to that level.
4. Contain Jefferson. Jefferson is an above-the-Xs-and-Os player who makes big plays at big times. He's a next-level route runner who is effective on intermediate routes – and who makes plays downfield with remarkable regularity. The Jaguars won't shadow him the entire game with their best cornerback, Tyson Campbell. Stopping or even containing Jefferson is a group thing.
5. Stop third and long. The Jaguars rank among the NFL's worst teams against third-and-longsituations, andd touchdowns on third-and-17 and third-and-22 defined the Eagles' victory last Sunday. Third-and-long must turn into turnovers, punts or field goals – not first downs and touchdowns.
6. Play with pride and professionalism. Nine games into the season seems too early to discuss these topics, but we've been discussing them in these parts for a few weeks now. Know what? So what? Those are the topics, and the Jaguars have made it that way.
7. Get Brian Thomas Jr. involved. The rookie wide receiver caught two passes against the Eagles and was targeted four times. Defenses can force passes away from receivers, but Thomas is this offense's best playmaker. Somehow, someway.
8. Attack. This is the defensive philosophy of first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. Attack. Be aggressive. Nothing cheap, nothing deep. The Jaguars must channel that Sunday against a capable, dangerous offense. All in.
9. Pressure Darnold. The Jaguars' defense is struggling in a lot of areas. Edge defender isn't one of those areas, with defensive ends Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen playing at a consistent level. That must continue. There's not enough else to make up for it if they slip.
10. No, really. Start fast. This is enough of an issue to bear repeating. The Jaguars have two first-quarter first downs in the last three games. The Jaguars' offense hasn't been bad all season and has had good flashes. But you can't come back in every game and expect to win in the NFL