In 2021, the Jacksonville Jaguars finished at the bottom of the NFL standings with a 3-14 record. It was a messy first year for Trevor Lawrence, further amplified by all the issues that Urban Meyer brought to the team. Fast forward a year later, with Lawrence having a year of NFL football under his belt and the team now headed by Doug Pederson, the Jags are heading to the playoffs as the AFC South champions.
It is definitely an incredible and quick turnaround for the Jaguars, whom many counted out before the season started. Considering that the team hasn't had a winning record since 2017, let alone compete for the postseason, no one believed that they could win the division title. Well, no one but themselves.
“Nobody ever lost faith,” Lawrence said on how the Jaguars were able to make the playoffs, per team reporter Grant Gordon. “Everyone believed in one another. We never started pointing the finger. We lost five straight, and we just got tighter. After the bye week, we started correcting some things and started rolling. It's cool to see a team come together like we have, and we're just excited to get another opportunity next week.”
The Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans 20-16 in Week 18 to secure their postseason berth, but as Trevor Lawrence mentioned, it wasn't easy. They were 2-6 in their first eight games of the season, even losing five straight at that point and seemingly headed to another ugly year. However, Jacksonville turned things around after their Week 11 bye, winning six of their remaining seven games to finish the campaign with a 9-8 record.
Of course there are a lot of other reasons for their sudden rise, including their defense that held both the Houston Texans and new York jets to just three points each in their previous two games. But at the end of the day as Lawrence said, it all started with their belief.
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