A promising young squad who went in the wrong direction in 2023, looking to bounce back. But with some large salaries, can they become the contenders we think they can be? Welcome back to another edition of ‘The Super Bowl Race In The Perspective of Chase’, and today we will preview the Jacksonville Jaguars 2024 season.
2023 Season
Going into 2023, expectations were high for Jacksonville, who appeared to be a shoe-in for the AFC South title. They had just won an overachieving nine games and made one of the biggest comebacks in postseason history. And they did it with one of the league’s best quarterbacks. But…that’s not exactly how last year went. Jacksonville was winning their division and was in the running for the AFC’s number one seed, but had a second half collapse. Calvin Ridley wasn’t consistent enough as a wideout, nor was Travis Etienne as a running back. And Lawrence was progressing the way we thought before he suffered an injury and wasn’t 100% for the final weeks of the season. So a season that looked like a promising one crumbled quickly, with Jacksonville missing the playoffs and the Houston Texans becoming the new, young, explosive team to fear in their division.
Offseason Additions and Losses
The main two additions Jacksonville made this offseason were to sign DT April Armstead and WR Gabe Davis; two well-known names. But it doesn’t exactly make them the difference makers we think they are. Armstead is a good run-stopper, but has struggled to stay on the field and hasn’t been the 10+ sack player since 2019. Or frankly anything close to it. And Davis has shown some flashes, but was really inconsistent last year. Plus, Jacksonville had to let go of both Ridley and Jamal Agnew last year, two other pass catching difference makers. They also had to let go Rayshawn Jenkins and Darious Williams, two key defensive weapons. So I don’t think Jacksonville improved this season by any means.
X-Factor: Travis Etienne
Etienne has had a weird two seasons. Both were somewhat productive but in different ways. He ran for less yards last year and ran for almost 1.5 less yards per carry. However, he also ran for six more touchdowns and totaled more scrimmage yards. His main problem is consistency. He just hasn’t been reliable on a game-to-game basis. And it affects the teams’ play. The Jags went 0-6 last year when Etienne ran for less than 50 yards compared to 9-2 when he ran for 50 or more yards. He is what separates this Jaguars offense from good to great. He has that talent. He just has to prove he can do it consistently. Because when he performs well, so does the team.
Reason for Concern: Lack of Improvement Last Year
I mentioned the expectations that lived around this Jaguars organization. And those were to improve…they didn’t quite do that. This was a team with one of the best young cores expecting to take the next step in their game. Instead, they won the same amount of games and missed the postseason. There are many ways to think about this. Option A: the hype shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Maybe this team was overrated based on a hot second half in 2022. Option B: Lawrence got hurt. The Jaguars were in the running for the No. 1 seed before he suffered an injury that may have lowered his play. But Option C: they just aren’t that team. Even though they were in the running for the number one seed, this team didn’t look amazing. Lawrence was playing a better level or frankly the same level as he did in 2022. Maybe this team wasn’t ready to take that next step. And considering they got worse in the offseason, that’s not a great sign.
Reason for Promise: The Star Power and Flashes of Success
While this team might not be perfect, they have a ton of stars. That does start with Lawrence. He may be inconsistent, but he was the first pick for a reason. He knows how to pass the football, has great pocket presence, can roll out and throw on the run. He has the whole package of talent. He’s just got to put it all together. Etienne, very similar. Christian Kirk is a good wide receiver and Evan Engram is a great tight. As for their defense, it’s Joshua Hines-Allen. He was one of the best pass rushers in football last year, and his production shows it. And Foyesade Oluokun is one of the most underrated pieces in football, leading the league in solo tackles in back-to-back seasons. It’s why this team rallied in the second half and 2022, and why they shined at the beginning of 2023. It’s just about putting together two good halves of a season.
Prediction
It’s hard to tell with a team like Jacksonville. Will they make the leap people thought they were going to make last year? Because say what you want, but this team was viewed and respected as a contender up until Lawrence’s injury last season. I still feel Houston is the superior team in the division, and Indianapolis won’t make things easy. But this team will hover around a postseason position, and maybe even the division title if Houston falls back down to earth.
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