Jacksonville Jaguars May Have Finally Won Through Losing

Sunday’s game against the Ravens proved that the 2020 Jacksonville Jaguars will go down as one of the worst seasons in franchise history behind record breaking and historically poor play, terrible management and coaching, and some of the worst luck in the NFL. Though the Jaguars’ had one of their worst showings on Sunday, losing 40-14 to the Baltimore Ravens, their bad luck may have finally changed and been rewarded.  The winless New York Jets, may prove to have even worse luck than the Jaguars after stunning the Los Angeles Rams and allowing the Jaguars to control their own destiny, as they now own the number one selection in the 2021 NFL Draft at the current order.

Now with the prospect of picking as many regards as a generational talent at the quarterback position in Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars fans have begun to rejoice. This also comes less then a week after Jaguars LB Myles Jack said that “even at the gas station fans talk about Trevor Lawrence.” As a team who has not won a game since Week 1, the Linebacker told Ashlyn Sullivan of the team’s website that he deleted his social media accounts to silence the distractions that can come from fans supporting the team to lose, or “tank” in order for the team to secure the top pick in the draft.

pexels.com

With the last two games remaining against the (7-7) Chicago Bears and the (10-4) Indianapolis Colts, the prospect of winning another game still exists as a very real possibility, with the Jaguars often playing well in late season games against division rivals. The Jaguars’ only win this season has also come against the Colts and the Jaguars tend to play spoiler in games that determine important draft and playoff positioning. The Bears also present an opportunity with their inconsistent play at quarterback as of late. Both games also present uphill battles to win, with the Colts currently playing well as of late and tied for the AFC South division lead with the Tennessee Titans, and the Bears vaunted Defense led by LB Khalil Mack.

The New York Jets remaining schedule is also much easier than the Jaguars, and with a Week 17 matchup against the New England Patriots, who were just eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2008, expect HC Bill Belichick to be thinking ahead to the future and who he would rather have to play against divisionally. While no team will be able to rest easy until the draft positioning is solidified, the Jacksonville Jaguars do have hope moving ahead, as they have continued to find new ways to lose each week.

This past Sunday against the Ravens the Jaguars were without P Logan Cooke, who is having a Pro Bowl Caliber year, leaving K Aldrick Rosas, who is the sixth Jaguars’ kicker this season (an NFL record), to have to punt, finding out the night before. While doing an admirable job considering the circumstances, the lack of confidence in his abilities led to several fourth down attempts, which mostly proved to be unsuccessful.

QB Gardner Minshew turned in a game to forget, despite his decent appearing stat line. Starting the game off with a safety is never ideal, and his biggest issue this season has been his inability to score early, digging the team into holes that the team cannot overcome, especially with the way the defense has played. The offensive line, facing several injuries, allowed 5 sacks, as Minshew was under constant pressure to move around in the pocket and get rid of the ball quickly. The Ravens and QB Lamar Jackson showed what time and a clean pocket can allow time and time again, and former Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue took advantage of the Jaguars porous play and wreaked havoc, posting 2 sacks and a forced fumble. With another poor outing at the quarterback position, the Jaguars head into the Week 16 without a clear answer as to who will be starting next game.

pexels.com

Perhaps the lone bright spot of the game and entire season, undrafted rookie RB James Robinson left the game with an ankle sprain and is questionable to suit up for the next two games. The heart and soul of the Offense, the team’s scoring efforts would be completely decimated, as the Ravens showed the effectiveness of slowing down the rushing attack of the Jaguars. When Robinson was able to get involved through the air, hauling in a beautiful TD catch, the Jaguars were able to move the ball efficiently. His loss would be a huge blow to the team moving forward in their efforts to win a second game.

With several unknowns in terms of injuries and the city and fans seemingly rooting against the Jaguars to win, it might become a tale of which version of the team will show up. Still playing inspired football under HC Doug Marrone, their heart cannot determine whether they have enough talent to overcome the seemingly insurmountable task of defeating a team in 2020. Whether you are rooting for or against the Jaguars winning, they do have done it before and do know how to claim a victory. Crazier things have happened, with the New York Jets winning their first game of the season this past weekend. If Sunday taught us anything, it is that nothing is guaranteed in the NFL and that we really cannot predict or know what exactly will happen until it does.