The 2023 calendar year began with the Jacksonville Jaguars storming back from a 27-3 halftime deficit to stun the Los Angeles Chargers on Wild Card Weekend. Despite their loss the next weekend to the Chiefs, most pegged Jacksonville to run away in what appeared to be a weakened AFC South this season.
Jacksonville started this season 6-2 before a blowout loss to the 49ers in Week 10. The Jags bounced back to win their next two contests to enter December 8-3. Then, everything fell apart. Jacksonville collapsed through December and lost the AFC South to the Texans with a 9-8 record. What happened here?
What Went Right for Jaguars
Travis Etienne completed his second full season (third overall) by doubling his rushing touchdowns from 2022, going from five in 2022 to 11 this season. He also added a receiving touchdown in Jacksonville’s Week 8 win over Pittsburgh amidst a boost in his receiving output from 2022. And, in a Week 5 win over Buffalo in London, Etienne went off for 136 yards and two scores on 26 carries.
ETIENNE. @Jaguars take an 11-point lead in London!
đź“ş: #JAXvsBUF on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/LxW25sxPWA pic.twitter.com/MYHmNtdYNQ— NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2023
Defensively, Travon Walker and Josh Allen feasted on opposing quarterbacks all season long as the linebackers combined to record 27.5 total sacks. Allen’s career defensive season, featuring 17.5 sacks and 66 combined tackles, earned him a second Pro Bowl nod. Allen’s best individual outputs of 2023 occurred in Weeks 1, 4, and 17 as he racked up three sacks in each game.
What Went Wrong for Jaguars
We need to analyze the December collapse a bit further as it pretty much embodies what went wrong with this season. It began with Trevor Lawrence spraining his ankle in Week 13 on Monday night against the Bengals. Lawrence pushed through the pain and was back on the field for Week 14, another loss (this time, versus Cleveland).
Week 15 against the Ravens came and went to push the losing streak to three before Lawrence injured his throwing shoulder on Christmas Eve against Tampa Bay. This pushed the losing streak to four. C.J. Beathard stopped the bleeding temporarily in a win over the awful Panthers in Week 17, bringing all three AFC South teams to Week 18 tied at 9-7. Jacksonville merely needed a win to secure the AFC South. Even with a loss, they could still slip in as a Wild Card team.
They got neither of those, though, as the Titans gave Mike Vrabel one more win and sent Jacksonville packing.
Team Award WinnersÂ
MVP – Josh Allen
Allen deserves a second mention as the Jaguars’ team MVP for 2023. The fifth-year player from Kentucky enjoyed a career defensive year with 17.5 total sacks and 66 combined tackles. He also completed back-to-back seasons of starting every single game on defense. No matter what changes come to Jacksonville’s defense, Allen is going to remain an important part of it.
Rookie of the Year – Anton Harrison
The 27th pick of the 2023 draft immediately became a Day 1 face on Jacksonville’s offensive line. Starting all 17 games, Harrison was called for only seven penalties over the entirety of the season and also surrendered just five sacks. He still has plenty of room to improve, especially when it comes to blocking for Jacksonville’s running back room.
#NFL Rookie OT Pass-Block Efficiency:
97.6- Anton Harrison, JAX
96.9- Dawand Jones, CLV
96.1- Paris Johnson Jr., ARZ
95.3- Broderick Jones, PIT
95.3- Darnell Wight, CHI
93.8- Blake Freeland, IND— Daniel Griffis (@DanDGriffis) January 18, 2024
Best Offseason Addition – Calvin Ridley
Calvin Ridley came back to the NFL after his one-year gambling suspension and made the most of his return. He started every game for the first time in his career and recorded his second 1,000-yard season to go along with eight touchdowns. He finished as Jacksonville’s WR1, and his highlight of the season came in Jacksonville’s season-ending loss to the Titans on a 59-yard catch and run from Lawrence early in the second quarter.
Biggest Surprise – Evan Engram
Engram’s second season in Jacksonville saw a surprising boost in production. He became a much more common target for Lawrence, catching 114 passes and racking up 963 total yards, both career highs. His best performance of 2023 came in the Week 14 loss to Cleveland when he caught 11 passes for 95 yards and had his only multiple-touchdown performance of the season.
Biggest Disappointment – Trevor Lawrence, post-Week 12Â
We are once again focusing on the Jaguars’ collapse, but this time, we are analyzing Lawrence’s role. Lawrence’s second and final 300-yard passing game of 2023 came in Week 12 against the Texans. In Week 13 against the Bengals, he was in another great outing before his fourth-quarter ankle injury. From here on, Lawrence never looked as sharp as he had pre-injury, throwing half of his 14 season interceptions during the remaining five games Jacksonville played, including a three-interception game the very next week.
Prior to his ankle injury, Trevor Lawrence was the 9th Ranked QB by EPA/Play and 8th Ranked by ADJ EPA/Play. #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/aNrud9WbOq
— Daniel Griffis (@DanDGriffis) January 25, 2024
One Burning QuestionÂ
How do you prevent this from happening again?
Lawrence needs to first stay upright as his multiple injuries down the stretch spelled doom for the Jaguars. Then, must improve his decision-making as he took a step back towards his rookie-level interception total. The Jaguars also fired Mike Caldwell, the architect of the defense, which was part of how the collapse happened. They replaced him with Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.Â
The Jaguars possess the 17th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, and with a new defensive regime now in place, it would be ideal to select their first new face in a defense sure to change under Nielsen’s guidance.
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