The Two Weeks That Foreshadowed Jaguars' Dismal Season

The Jacksonville Jaguars started the season with two losses that could have easily been wins. Did the first two games of the season set the tone for what was to come?

Sep 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) fumbles the football after a tackle from Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland (8) during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are the worst team in the National Football League. However, it did not happen overnight.

Jacksonville started the season 1-4, including an 0-4 start, but they had a chance to win the first two games. Self-inflicted wounds cost the Jaguars the first two games of the season, and they have not recovered.

In the first game of the season, the Jaguars faced a healthy Miami Dolphins team and had them on the ropes early. After jumping out to a 17-7 lead, the Jaguars marched down the field in the third quarter with a chance to put the game away.

Jacksonville moved the ball 94 yards, all the way down the field, only for running back Travis Etienne to fumble the ball back to the Dolphins. Instead of a commanding 24-7 lead and a potential 1-0 start to the season, the Jaguars would give up an 80-yard touchdown just one play later and not score another point for the rest of the game.

The next week, against the Cleveland Browns, would be more of the same for the Jaguars. They found multiple ways to beat themselves, securing an 0-2 start to the season.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson was honest when asked if he felt the season's first two games contributed to the team's lack of success so far. Considering how pretty much nothing has gone right for the Jaguars since jumping out to a 17-7 lead against the Dolphins, it is undeniable that the first two losses impacted the season.

“Yeah, I think I look at that, and I have looked at that, and I have thought about that, and sometimes it’s interesting how a play or two here or there can kind of change the course of a season," Pederson said. "That’s so early in the season, though, that you still have time to fix it.

"So, it’s hard to maybe say it was just that, but some of the mistakes still being made just have to be fixed, have to be corrected. But again, it’s not a lack of effort or physicality or nothing like that. We just need – this team needs a break.”

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.