We’re only about a quarter of the way through the NFL season, but the Jacksonville Jaguars have already had a pretty tumultuous start to their campaign.
It’s hard to believe that a franchise that finished 1-15 a year ago would find new ways to experience turmoil, but that’s exactly how it has unfolded.
Ownership took a big leap this offseason by hiring Urban Meyer as their head coach, and there have been several questionable decisions made by the former Ohio State head man.
The most recent misstep involved a video where Meyer was seen at a bar in a less than professional light, leaving many to question his future in Jacksonville.
Reportedly, there were discussions internally about Meyer’s conduct, and the head coach did apologize to the team for his error in judgment.
Forgetting about wins and losses for a second, Meyer’s tenure with the Jaguars is off to a shaky start at best.
He has made head-scratching comments about players and their roles with the team, and engaged in practice habits that had the franchise and himself individually fined during OTAs.
The operation that Meyer has overseen has had some cracks in the process.
It is fair to wonder whether that’s just part of the learning curve, or indicative of a larger problem.
At the end of the day, not everyone in the building or outside of it needs to agree with how Meyer runs his ship.
WATCH LIVE: Head Coach Urban Meyer meets with the media on Wednesday of Week 5. Presented by @CarShield https://t.co/4T9H7pBM1A
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 6, 2021
The performance he’s able to illicit from his players each weekend will ultimately be the litmus test of whether his methods are working or not.
As the team is sitting in the basement of the AFC South with an 0-4 record, the results have not been encouraging.
What If Jacksonville Starts Winning?
However, if the team is able to start posting victories, Meyer’s ancillary behaviors will be swept under the rug.
Week 1 was a tremendously disappointing start to the season for Jacksonville, as they were manhandled by a Houston Texans team that is viewed as perhaps the least talented in the NFL.
Take another look at @jamalagnew's impressive sideline grab in this week’s Film Room, presented by @surface.#DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/Hn77RQupTo
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 6, 2021
While they weren’t necessarily expected to triumph in subsequent weeks against the Denver Broncos or Arizona Cardinals, respectively, Jacksonville was also rendered inept in those games as well.
The hope was that a young core of skill position players would show exciting flashes of promise, but it did not happen in the aforementioned matchups.
How Likely Is It That They’ll Start Winning Soon?
Based on what we saw from the Jaguars in their Week 4 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s possible that Jacksonville is starting to find its footing.
They jumped out to a 14-0 lead at halftime, and running back James Robinson was an important part of that.
In the last two games, he has produced in the fashion that allowed him to burst onto the scene in 2020.
He’ll need to continue to run effectively in order to take pressure off of rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Jacksonville’s best chances to win in the next several weeks would appear to be against the Miami Dolphins (the game is in London) in Week 6, or Week 10 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Neither team has been able to muster consistent offensive punch so far, which could allow Jacksonville to hang around and get into the win column.
NEXT: Urban Meyer Continuing To Apologize Is A Distraction In Itself