Have the Jaguars ever been good?
Aside from 2017, The Jacksonville Jaguars have underperformed since 2007. Years of losing more than they won, and trying to scrape by finally led to a dumpster fire of a 2021 season that ended with a 3-14 record and the firing of Head coach Urban Meyer after just 13 games due to on and off the field issues. If one thing was true, it was that the Jaguars needed a new culture in 2022. Their opportunity for that came by the name of Doug Pederson. Pederson was the former head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. He brought the franchise their first Super Bowl championship after defeating the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LII. After reported disagreements him and the team mutually split. Fast forward to 2022 when he took over the struggling Jaguars.
Last season the Jaguars started an ugly 3-7. Most felt that they were back to their old selves, and we were watching history repeat itself. Doug and his team however, had other plans. Coming out of their bye week Jacksonville won six of their final seven games doing something their fans hadn’t seen in a long time. They fought until the end and were able to finish over .500 and earn a spot in the playoffs. In the playoffs they did it again. Committing 5 turnovers but continuing to fight back step by step eventually beating the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30.
Are the Jaguars healthy?
The reason I give you a bit of that history and run down of last season is to talk differences in last year’s team vs prior years. One of the biggest being a head coach that leads his team and instills the mentality that the game isn’t over until it’s over. Yes, many will call him out for his 2020 pulling of Jalen Hurts for Nate Sudfeld tactic, but whatever side of the fence you are on for that there is no denying he had a strong motive regardless. Another difference this year is exactly what you guessed…Health! After all, this is a Banged-Up Score article.
The Jacksonville Jaguars had health on their side this season according to the Banged Up Score (B.U.S). Boasting an average B.U.S of 85.7 they topped the list as the healthiest team last season. They also finished at the top of average weekly B.U.S ranking position, with an average weekly ranking of 2.3 out of 32 teams. This means that their average weekly rank was between 2 and 3, not a bad place to sit if you are looking at health as a performance predicting measurement which we know it is.
Who was injured on the Jacksonville Jaguars?
Health was no doubt an important player in their success this past year but that isn’t to say they went without injury. The good news was players like Travis Etienne who missed his rookie season due to injury finally took the field. The bad news was Jacksonville faced adversity just like every other team maybe just a little less of it. One of the most concerning week to week towards the latter half of the season was Trevor Lawrence’s toe injury. Luckily for the Jaguars it wasn’t severe enough to keep him out and he performed well despite the nagging injury, but it was enough to cause a bit of concern for the team and fans. This was especially stressful with both Cam Robinson and Brandon Scherff dealing with their own injuries on the offensive line. On defense, Shaquill Griffin’s back injury ended up placing him on IR. For a defense who gave up the 5th most passing yards last season, this was a tough loss in the secondary. We will get more into their draft picks in tomorrow’s release of “Final Draft” but the Jaguars took a big focus on O-line, D-line and secondary. Positions that needed depth.
HC Doug Pederson and GM Trent Baalke meet with the media following day 3 of the NFL draft. Presented by @Dream_Finders https://t.co/I3pgxbS9lN
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) April 29, 2023
Will the Jaguars be contenders this year?
Overall, their B.U.S trend was what you might expect from the healthiest team in the NFL. They started high, logging a 96.1 week one and never fell below 75.4. Sure, they had a steady decline as one might assume as the season goes on, (After all you can’t avoid injuries all together) but they were able to maintain great health which helped them reach the playoffs and win their Wild Card round. Head Coach Doug Pederson is trying to put the pieces he needs in place and following the formula that seems to be backed by strong data. If they can stay healthy next year then the Jaguars will certainly be a team to watch.
