Jaguars Named Among 7 Teams Who Could Find Way Back to Playoffs in 2024

Can the Jacksonville Jaguars and Doug Pederson find themselves back in the playoffs in 2024? They have some supporters at CBS Sports who believe so.

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson during the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars put an end to their four-year playoff drought in 2022, and all expectations were that the Jaguars would continue to find themselves in the post-season moving forward.

The Jaguars seemed to be on pace to do just that in 2023, too, until a late-season collapse saw them start a new streak of non-playoff seasons.

“I feel fine moving forward, I just think how we finished the last six games of the year, how we did it, we had opportunities to win these games. It wasn’t like we were out of a lot of games down the stretch here. It’s that we lost the game more than them winning the game and that’s really been our season," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said the day after the Jaguars' season ended with a loss in Nashville in Week 18.

"When you take a look at the whole thing, I tried to communicate this with the team: everything is connected. Everything is connected; go back to Week 1 and Week 2, we played the Chiefs in Week 2 and I mentioned to the team how this could have playoff implications. Even in Week 2, then Week 3 you play the Texans. This could have playoff implications for the AFC South. You show up here today and it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s what he’s talking about.’ We can’t get to that point; it’s got to be that sense of urgency where everything matters. This is all part of teaching the team to win and preparing to win; focusing in on preparation and doing all those little things that as coaches, we talk a lot to our players about and we can’t just push it aside and say, ‘Hey, we got 12 more games or 15 more games; we still got a three-game lead in the division, it’s okay.’ It’s really not. You can’t let things slide, you can’t let things slip and that sense of urgency is important to the success we have. Especially down the stretch here, when everything began to matter.”

As a result of the scars from 2023, the Jaguars have their eyes set solely on the AFC South crown and a playoff spot this season. And to little surprise, the Jaguars were named by CBS Sports as one of seven teams who could make the playoffs after missing last year.

"Let's not forget the Jaguars were 8-3 and competing for the top seed in the AFC in late November before losing five-of-six and missing the playoffs. Injuries and turnovers doomed Jacksonville, who revamped the roster in an effort to avoid a repeat of last season's collapse.

The core of the offense is still Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, but Jacksonville changed things up at wide receiver by signing Gabe Davis in free agency and drafting Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round. Evan Engram is back at tight end as Lawrence's most reliable target.


The offensive line added Mitch Morse to shore up the interior, while the defense saw quite a few changes -- starting with Ryan Nielsen as the new defensive coordinator. The defense will go from a four-man front to three-man, signing defensive tackle Arik Armstead and drafting defensive tackles Maason Smith (second round) and Jordan Jefferson (fourth round). The secondary is also revamped with Ronald Darby starting at cornerback and Darnell Savage at safety.

Jacksonville is going to look significantly different in 2024. If Lawrence cuts down on the turnovers, a return trip to the playoffs is on the table."

- Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports

DDD

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