Jaguars look set to control AFC South for years to come
Even though it ended with playoff disappointment on Saturday, the 2022 Jacksonville Jaguars season ended up being a massive success.
It has also set the stage for what should be a run of dominance in the AFC South over the coming years.
After winning just four games over the prior two years (combined), the Jaguars were able to overcome a 3-7 start this season to crawl back and shockingly win the AFC South. Adding to the success was a playoff victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round.
The best might still be yet to come for this group. And there is a lot to like about what they are building. While their 9-8 regular season record might not be anything special, they lost seven games (including Saturday’s 27-20 divisional round game in Kansas City) by just a single possession. They were close in almost every game.
After making a disastrous coaching hire a year ago with Urban Meyer, the Jaguars seemed to get things right with Doug Pederson who brought a level of professionalism and respect to an organization that desperately needed it.
Perhaps even more important than that, some of their most important young players on offense took massive leaps forward.
That begins with quarterback Trevor Lawrence. His first postseason was filled with some ups and downs, but overall he showed that he can be a franchise quarterback. Especially with the way he played in the second half of the season during Jacksonville’s late season resurgence. Nobody on the roster benefitted more from the arrival of Pederson than Lawrence.
The Jaguars also finally got a look at their second first-round pick from a year ago, running back Travis Etienne after his rookie season was completely wiped out due to injury. He became an instant star in the Jacksonville offense, rushing for more than 1,100 yards and averaging more than five yards per carry.
Not only that, Lawrence and Etienne will have another impact player joining their offense next season with the arrival of star wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
The Jaguars took a chance on Ridley by acquiring him at the 2022 trade deadline from the Atlanta Falcons after he was suspended for the entirety of the season for betting on NFL games. Assuming he is reinstated for next season that would be a massive addition to a young offense that is already full of young playmakers.
But it is not just Jacksonville’s progress that should make it such a force in the AFC South. It is also the teams surrounding them in the division and how far away from contention all of them seem to be. The Indianapolis Colts are a mess and still have major question marks throughout their organization. The Houston Texans have a lot of prime draft assets, but they are knee deep in what should be a lengthy rebuild. The Tennessee Titans are probably the biggest competitor for Jacksonville in the short-term, but they have major questions at quarterback and took a major step backwards this season.
Jacksonville was already the top team in the division this season and it should be able to stay there for a while.
