One year after winning a division title, the Jacksonville Jaguars plummeted to the AFC South basement. How can they regain the top spot this season?
From 2008-16, the Jacksonville Jaguars amassed a dismal 42-102 win-loss record and lost at least 11 games in seven of those nine seasons. Then one year after posting a dreadful 3-13 record and plummeting to the bottom of the AFC South in 2016, the club surprised many and not only finished with a 10-6 record, but the franchise also captured its first division title since 1999.
Doug Marrone’s club would parlay the Jaguars’ first playoff appearance since 2007 into wins over the Bills and Steelers and owned a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in the AFC title game at New England. But the team would fall short of the team’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
This past season, the Jaguars would win three of their first four games and avenged their conference championship game loss to the Patriots. But it all came apart rather quickly for Marrone and company and it was back to the divisional basement. So can the team do this season what it did in ’17? Here are three areas that the team needs to be better at if they are to have a shot at dethroning the Houston Texans.
3. Shore up the run defense
The big-play defensive unit known as “Sacksonville” was quite the factor during the club’s 2017 season and deep playoff run. During the regular season that year, the team rolled up 55 quarterback traps, came up with 33 takeaways and returned numerous opponent turnovers for touchdowns. But that year, the club had its issues against the run. They got somewhat better after a midseason trade with the Buffalo Bills netted Marcell Dareus, but it was an area that needed to be addressed last offseason.
But the Jaguars’ move from 21st in the league in run defense to 19th shows that this area must still get better, especially in a division where the Texans, Colts and Titans all like to run the football. A year ago, the team used a first-round pick on defensive tackle Taven Bryan, who played in all 16 games and made one start. Will he take over inside on a full time basis for Malik Jackson, released by this team this offseason?
2. Re-establish the ground game
In 2017, no team in the league finished the regular season with more running plays (527) and more rushing yards (2,262) than Doug Marrone’s club. When he was available, the team got plenty of production from then-rookie running back Leonard Fournette, the fourth-overall selection in the draft that year.
The team’s ability to dominate on the ground would continue in the postseason against the Buffalo Bills (155 yards), Pittsburgh Steelers (164) and to a lesser degree, the New England Patriots (101). Fournette, reserve running backs Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon and quarterback Blake Bortles all played a big role in Jacksonville’s success on the ground that year.
But that was hardly the case this past season. The ground game slumped to 19th in the NFL and Fournette was limited to only eight contests, running for just 439 yards and five of the club’s disappointing seven overall rushing touchdowns. It’s essential that he remain healthy if the ground game is to rebound.
This offseason, the team signed free agent running backs Alfred Blue, Benny Cunningham and Thomas Rawls while allowing four-year pro T.J. Yeldon to move on (he’s now with the Buffalo Bills). General manager David Caldwell also used a fifth-round pick on Temple’s Ryquell Armstead.
Of course, a solid running game would also benefit the Jacksonville defense as well. And if new starting quarterback Nick Foles is to succeed, the Jaguars need to get back to the offensive formula that paid off so well in ’17.
1. Consistent play at quarterback
Just when it appeared that the third-overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft has turned things around a bit, the Blake Bortles Era came to an end in Jacksonville. In 2017, the much-maligned signal-caller did a much better job of taking care of the football than he had in years past. And during the team’s three-game playoff run that season, he and the team did not commit a single turnover.
But Bortles failed to build off that showing this past season and ball security once again became a major problem for the former first-round selection. During the club’s 2017 campaign, the five-year pro played and started all 19 games for the club (including playoffs). He tuned over the football a combined 16 times in those outings. This past season, he would play in 13 games but was limited to only 12 starts due to his ineffective performance. He committed 15 turnovers (11 interceptions, 4 lost fumbles) in those outings.
The Jaguars’ attack is now led veteran quarterback Nick Foles, as well as new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterbacks coach in 2017, with Foles as his charge. While the experienced signal-caller has enjoyed his big moments the last two seasons with the Birds, it should also be noted that he was picked off twice in each of the Eagles’ two playoff games a year ago. So will the seven-year veteran be up to the task with his fourth NFL team?