Last season, not many people were expecting the Jacksonville Jaguars to be a force.
They had a rather young roster, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence was coming off a frustrating and unproductive rookie season.
But after losing six of their first eight games, they ended the season with a five-game winning streak and made it to the Divisional round of the playoffs, a place they had been to just twice in the past 20-plus years.
Former running back Fred Taylor has a high level of belief in Lawrence and feels the Jaguars can take another big step forward this season, via an appearance on Pat McAfee’s show.
"Trevor Lawrence is amazing and I think the Jags are in position to take another leap"@FredTaylorMade #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/4FRIscUqyr
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 10, 2023
Taylor mentioned the playoff contest versus the Los Angeles Chargers, in which Jacksonville fell behind 27-0 in the first half while Lawrence was playing terribly.
The Clemson University product had four interceptions in the first half, and the game looked like a slow-motion train wreck for him.
But as Taylor pointed out, he kept firing away without hesitation, and he ended up with four touchdown passes and zero interceptions in the second half.
As a result, the Jaguars pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in NFL playoff history by winning, 31-30, on a last-second field goal by Riley Patterson.
They have standout wide receiver Christian Kirk, and they will now also have wideout Calvin Ridley, who had 1,374 receiving yards in 2021.
In the backfield, Travis Etienne is one of the league’s rising young running backs.
This may not be the season in which the Jaguars win their first Super Bowl, but they do seem poised for another strong playoff run.
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