The explosive young quarterback narrowly missed crushing the No. 1 seed on the road after leading his club to an
unforgettable victory in the wild-card round.
Although the season came to a close with a terrible disappointment and a missed opportunity, all parties involved—
players, coaches, fans, and national pundits—saw greatness in the near future.
Yes, the Green Bay Packers of 2023 are described in just two sentences. They also talk about the Jacksonville Jaguars of 2022.
Before going on fire in 2022, the Jaguars had a 4-8 record. The Jaguars win five straight games and the AFC South to secure the No. 4 seed, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Lawrence led the Jaguars to an incredible comeback from a 27-0 deficit to upset the Chargers 31-30 in the wild-card
round. Lawrence completed four touchdown passes. The Jaguars trailed 20-17 in the fourth quarter of their
divisional playoff loss to the formidable Chiefs and ultimately lost 27-20.
The Jaguars were predicted to do well in 2023, and with good reason. Lawrence had just finished a season in which
he passed for 4,113 yards and 30 touchdowns in all. The Jaguars offense appeared to be unstoppable with running
back Travis Etienne, receiver Christian Kirk, tight end Evan Engram, and the addition of WR Calvin Ridley. In
contrast, the defense’s point total allowed was just outside the top 10.
For the first part of the 2023 season, everything appeared to be going according to plan. They went to 6-2 thanks to a
five-game winning streak that includes victories over Buffalo, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh. After the bye, the
Jaguars lost badly to San Francisco at home, but they turned things around with consecutive victories over
Tennessee and Houston, finishing with an 8-3 record as of December.
By then, ESPN’s Power Football Index had them at 98 percent for a postseason spot.
The meltdown to end all meltdowns arrived next. The Jaguars had a four-game losing streak before defeating Carolina. That led to a win-and-in game against Tennessee, which Tennessee won 5–11.
The 2024 Packers should learn their lesson from the 2023 Jaguars. Coach Matt LaFleur ought to bring them up when the players report for the first day of offseason training on April 15. As the players part ways for the break between the June minicamp and the opening of training camp in late July, they ought to be brought up once more.
