I… I am stunned right now. This was an absolute choke job by the Jacksonville Jaguars who had the AFC South division by the balls. They blew it and now they will watch the playoffs on the couch as they have been eliminated. There is so much that has to be said here, but there are 3 clear reasons as to why the Jaguars did not make the playoffs this year.
3. Loosing to the Tennessee Titans
The game against the Tennessee Titans was a must-win for the Jacksonville Jaguars. After a very rough slump at the end of the season (We Will Get To That), the Jaguars found themselves in this situation. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, they pulled a Mike Tomlin, playing down to massively inferior competition, and it resulted in them losing. The Jags lost to the Titans 28-20. The Jaguars looked unprepared in this game and the team was super lost facing the Titans. It was a very brutal way to go out after a very strong start to the season.
2. Trevor Lawrence was never 100% for the Jacksonville Jaguars
It was clear that Lawrence was playing with a ton of injuries this season, and those injuries severely affected his play in the second half of the season. He should have been rested for more than one game, but Lawrence tried to power through the season hurt. Especially in that Titan game where he had a shoulder injury. This should be a lesson to never rush from an injury as it could derail a player in both the short term and long term. Trevor Lawrence is another example of this as his injuries effected his play on the field. If he was healthy, Lawrence would have had much cleaner throws, and maybe the Jaguars would have never been eliminated from the playoffs.
1. Loosing 5 of there last 6 Games
This is the major reason why the Jags did not make the playoffs. The Titans loss was the killing blow, but loosing 5 of there last 6 games of the season did not help things either. That is all on coaching because a team that is 8-3 should never be eliminated at the end of the season. Loosing those games was a sign that the Jaguars just were not going to make it and it was too many losses for the Jaguars to overcome. That is absolutely on the coaching staff of this team and especially head coach Doug Pedersen.
Where do the Jacksonville Jaguars go from here?
Honestly, Doug Pederson might be the most overrated coach in the NFL today. How this man even won a Superbowl with the Philadelphia Eagles is just perplexing. Then again the Eagles faced a Matt Patricia coached defense, so I guess it makes sense. I maybe controversial here, but he needs to be fired now. Yes they fired almost 10 of there coaches including defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell. The Jaguars’ slide from an 8-3 start to missing the playoffs entirely is undoubtedly a fireable offense. Press Taylor’s performance as the offensive coordinator has been underwhelming, showcasing a decline in offensive play-calling abilities as the season progressed. The entire offensive unit has regressed. Trevor Lawrence’s performance, despite playing through injuries has shown signs of decline.
Looking ahead, the Jaguars possess a mid-1st round pick in the upcoming draft. While they’ll likely aim for the best available player, the team faces critical decisions in the offseason. It’s essential for the Jaguars to make strategic moves and smart decisions to retool effectively. Otherwise, discussions about potentially rebuilding the team from scratch might start surfacing.
