Carson Rich
Words by Carson Rich
The rebuild of the Jacksonville Jaguars continues. North Florida’s home team showed much improvement this year, but fell short at the very end, leaving fans questioning where it all went wrong. After such a promising start to the season, they had the league thinking there was a new force to be reckoned with in the AFC, but the downfall in the second half of the season turned out to leave a blemish on what could have been.
Season after season, the question still remains…what now?
The 2023 offseason gave the entire city of Jacksonville high hopes with their recruiting abilities, aiding the team with new additions that could help push their stars to the next level – while also developing new ones. Running back, Tank Bigsby, and Wide receiver, Calvin Ridley, were two young faces that propelled the hype for this newly refurbished team that had just made a playoff run last season. Linebacker, Foyesade Oluokon, was basically stolen from the Atlanta Falcons (it’s personal for me), as he had already made a name for himself. He was the ultimate weapon that the Jaguars needed for their arsenal.
The beginning of the regular season showed no signs of slowing down as the entire team came out bullying their way to a 6-2 start. Their impressive five-game win streak early on sent a powerful message to the rest of the league, declaring their spot as a dominant force that should not be underestimated. Their successful record shot them to the top of the AFC, a conference that is full of what the NFL would call “the big dogs”.
As mentioned in my mid-season review; Everything was looking up for the Jags as all positions of the team were playing at the top of their game – climbing up the ladder of season stat leaders.
After their bye in week 9, an upsetting blow-out to the San Francisco 49ers showed fans the harsh reality that – while they may be improving greatly – they still have some work to do to be considered Super Bowl contenders.
Two much-needed wins against the Titans and Texans continued the hope that fans had for a strong playoff berth, but little did everyone know that it was just the calm before the storm. The Jaguars next game against the Cincinnati Bengals seemingly reversed the course of the season as Quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, and Wide receiver, Christian Kirk, were injured, causing much concern for the future. After the heartbreaking overtime loss, the team began a downward spiral leading to their demise, losing the next three games against teams that were known to be challenging from the start. With how the season started, expectations were rising. Giving fans false hope that they might still have a chance against strong opponents like the Baltimore Ravens – who were Super Bowl favorites.
The Tennessee Titans – who had nothing to lose – got their revenge during the last game of the season by delivering the final blow to any chances at revival for the playoffs. Since the injuries of their franchise stars, it seemed like Jaguars fans began to accept their fate going into an empty postseason.
The roller coaster of emotions that Jaguars fans endured during the 2023 season should leave them entitled to financial compensation (or even trauma therapy for that matter), but this does not mean the end for this team. The disappointing conclusion that unraveled a month ago left fans in a confusing spot that begs the question of where everything went wrong, and how it needs to be fixed. The team, however, looks as if they are confident in themselves, as they are aggressively searching for answers.
The addition of their new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielson was the first sign of that. He has built an impressive resume over the past years, taking defenses with great potential and elevating them to new heights. He showed this last year with the Atlanta Falcons, who, beforehand, had all of the right pieces, but were not putting them in the right places. After one year of being with the Falcons, he transformed their defense into what is now arguably a top-ten in the league. He hopes to continue these transformations here in Jacksonville.
This offseason will give plenty of time to make adjustments where needed and for the injured players to become healthy again, giving both Head Coach Doug Pederson and Nielson a fresh start that could lead to unmatched chemistry for the foreseeable future.
There have been (ignorant) rumors that coach Pederson could be on the hot seat for his job after what this season turned out to be, but this should all be smoke and mirrors since he has led this team to what could still be the biggest turn-around in Jaguars history. Since the controversy and parting of ways with former coach Urban Meyer, Pederson has done nothing short of propelling this team toward victory. With evidence such as the development of Trevor Lawrence – and the offense as a whole – and turning great players like Linebacker, Josh Allen, and Safety, Andre Cisco, into top performers in the league.
Overall, the Jaguars will be fine. While this season did not finish the way everyone anticipated, the unfortunate events that led to the downfall of this team are things that they can easily come back from – especially with an entire offseason to look forward to.
As for now, the next step for the team will be recovery and progression, along with some new faces that could be acquired through free agency and the NFL draft. So, mourn all you want while we continue toward the offseason, but the Jacksonville Jaguars are not done yet.
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