via: blackandteal.com
On Sunday, December 11, 2022, the then 5-8 Jacksonville Jaguars defeated AFC South rival Tennessee Titans 36-22, outscoring the Titans 26-8 throughout the end of the 1st and 2nd half of the game. After the win, safety Andrew Wingard, who the Jaguars signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019, felt the energy from bouncing back after a horrific 40-14 rout to the Detroit Lions the week prior and told the cameras, “It was always the Jags.”
Since then, Jacksonville won all of their last four games in a row, including a 20-16 home season finale victory against the Titans to win the AFC South division for the first time since 2017. The last time they were AFC South champions, it was off the strength of a 10-6 winning record and a chance of even going to the Super Bowl until they faced the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. After that season, Jacksonville was dead last in their division for four consecutive seasons and struggled to earn a .500 record or a playoff spot. The most memorable fallout was just last year when the team went 3-14 under former college football coach Urban Meyer. It was a nightmare in Duval County, as what seemed to be a good coaching decision turned completely sour, many fans wanting GMs and owner Shad Khan to go, and a bright future of QB Trevor Lawrence looking muddy.
Amazingly, the Jaguars managed to turn it all around this season. From being last in the entire NFL to clinching a playoff berth with a 9-8 record, it took a lot of faith and grit to make it happen. And while the slogan ‘It Was Always The Jags’ by Wingard became a statement of pride and belief for the team and the city of Jacksonville, it cannot alone describe what had to transpire to create it a reality. From Lawrence’s improvement in his sophomore year to the many changes within the roster and coaching staff, eyes are on the Jacksonville Jaguars to maintain their impressive forward push into the league.
Roster Changes and Depth
Free agency meant a lot to the Jacksonville Jaguars, as they went all in to clean up their roster and surround Trevor Lawrence with great talent. During free agency, the Jags spent $263.5 million in total contract money and $158.3 million in guaranteed money on several players, including wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, tight end Evan Engram, and cornerback Darious Williams. On top of adding new talent to the roster, Jacksonville spent lots of time moving players and working on the depth, such as moving RB James Robinson to the New York Jets and bringing Travis Etienne Jr. to the RB1 spot. These changes and tweaks helped in all areas for not only the team but also the players.
The offense made milestones as Kirk, Jones, and Engram all set career highs in receptions and receiving yards. Etienne Jr. (1,125 rushing yards) and Kirk (1,108 receiving yards) helped the Jags have a 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver in the same season. Defensively, linebacker Foye Olunkun, who joined the Jaguars this season, led the league in total tackles for a second consecutive season (184). Last season, Jacksonville was at the bottom in offensive and defensive rankings. This season they rank Top 10 in total yards, passing yards, and turnover differential.
Trevor Lawrence’s Sophomore Stride
Trevor Lawrence’s first season in the NFL was not the warm welcome he expected, coming off winning back-to-back College Football Playoff titles at Clemson. And while the transition to the big leagues will always present itself as a challenge, going 3-14 while dealing with a disgruntled coach and a franchise at the time shouldn’t be a part of that transition. Also, the No. 1 draft pick freshman performance was one of highs and lows as he finished with 12 TDs, 17 INTs, a 39.1 QBR, and 59.6% completion. The future of the Jaguars depends on Lawrence, and even though his rookie season turned out the way it did, he saw it as a needed learning experience.
"The NFL is completely different from college as far as offenses, and defenses as well. Like there's so many things that you learn that you can't learn unless you go through it," Lawrence said on Darien Rencher’s podcast The Player’s Club.
Reflecting on last season, along with the help of an improved roster and head coach, Lawrence turned his sophomore season into one of consistent strides toward improvement. This season he recorded 4,113 passing yards, 25 TDS, and eight INTS. His completion percentages and QBR ratings jumped from 59.6% and 39.1 to 66.3% and 54.5. Looking at how he plays now compared to last season, Trevor Lawrence looks more confident and poised. Last season, he ranked 19th among quarterbacks in throwing time, throwing the football in 2.84 seconds. Now he is tied for second with Cincinnati Bengals' QB Joe Burrow, throwing the football in under 2.5 seconds. His confidence has also rubbed on his supporting cast, as Kirk tied for 12th in deep ball receiver percentage (98.5) this season, and Engram posted his best season by a tight end in franchise history (73 catches, 766 yards, four TDs).
He is molding himself into the QB everyone expected when he got drafted, and for Jacksonville, the future is bright with a clear road map to achieve success.
The Leadership of Doug Pederson
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After a disastrous 3-14 season last year and the firing of Urban Meyer, the Jacksonville Jaguars called on coach Doug Pederson to help spark the change they desperately needed. Doug Pederson led the Philadelphia Eagles to their first Super Bowl title in 2017 and has led his team to the playoffs four times in six seasons. After 2017, the Eagles went to the postseason in 2018 and 2019 but didn't make it back to Super Bowl Land. Then in 2020, after a 4-11-1 season, Pederson and the Eagles parted ways.
Two seasons later, Pederson found himself with the Jacksonville Jaguars, this time with a task to create a more positive team environment and build trust as he says, “It had been broken.” Pederson knew what work had to be done and wanted to start from the ground up to create a winning culture. The entire season for Jacksonville and Pederson has not been all peaches and cream, as the Jaguars had won only two of their first eight games of the season. However, that didn’t derail Pederson into finding a way to bring the great will to the team, as they went 7-2 to end the regular season. The Jaguars are the third team in NFL history in the Super Bowl era to reach the playoffs after starting a season 2-6, and increased their win total to six this season, tying the Detroit Lions for the largest improvement in 2022.
Pederson also was a difference maker for Trevor Lawrence and his sophomore development. Lawrence is the second quarterback since 1950 to double his wins & touchdowns and cut his interceptions in half since Drew Brees in 2003-04. In just his first season as the coach, Pederson managed to show Jacksonville what a winning culture looks like as well as help his players know what that looks like, and many praise him for his willingness to connect and lead.
"He connects with everybody within the locker room. He treats us fair, and he sticks to his word. He is always thinking about us, and he puts us first. To have a coach like that who is always going to put you in the right position to succeed, it's pretty easy to buy into," Christian Kirk said to FOX Sports about Pederson.
What the Jacksonville Jaguars have shown the NFL this season is when you buckle down on your development and progress, surround yourself with what you need to succeed, and have that belief in yourself, your teammates, and your team, these turnarounds and stories of triumph are possible. They’ll be looking to keep the momentum going as they host their fifth franchise home playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night in the Wild Card Round.
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