On the Jaguars' 2022 season report card, coach Doug Pederson gets highest mark, while Trevor Lawrence-led offense, special teams fare well. Defense needs work.
Until the Jacksonville Jaguars win a Super Bowl, there may never be a more rewarding season in franchise history than 2022.
However, those Jaguars and their fan base had no scar tissue built up. They didn’t know true misery that came from years and years of losing. As Pederson said Monday about his team’s prospects moving forward — “the window of opportunity is now” — the Jaguars have a right to feel bullish about the future. This doesn’t look to be an outlier like 2017, but is quite possibly the start of a long playoff run as Tom Coughlin’s teams delivered in the late 1990s.
Here’s the Jaguars’ grades on the final report card and what each facet of the team can do better moving forward:It cannot be overstated how much Lawrence’s vast improvement in the second half of the season directly led to a six-game jump in the Jaguars’ record from 3-14 last year under Urban Meyer. Lawrence’s regular-season numbers were all a significant jump from his rookie year, and his after-London stats are a strong indication of how much the light went on for him in Year 2.
With Etienne finishing as the league’s ninth-leading rusher — plus Kirk , Jones and Engram all achieving career bests in those categories — the Jaguars were the only NFL team to have a 1,000-yard running back and three receivers hit the 750-yard mark. Second-year tackle Walker Little took a major step in his development by capably filling in for Robinson the last five games . Veteran Tyler Shatley started the final 14 games after Bartch’s departure and there was little dropoff.
The first order of business is getting Engram and right tackle Jawaan Taylor, both unrestricted free agents, back in the fold. Both are key members of Lawrence’s surrounding cast and having your franchise QB comfortable is a good thing. In the first eight games, the Jaguars held a lead for 234 minutes out of a possible 480 and opponents only had it for 104 minutes, yet the Jaguars lost six times because they couldn’t finish.
In one word: takeaways. The Jaguars forced 27 turnovers, triple the amount they had last year and the second-most in the last decade, behind only the 2017 defense that had 33. It’s no coincidence the Jaguars’ defense had only two takeaways during the five-game losing streak, then 11 in the five-game winning streak to end the regular season.
The defense simply didn’t affect the quarterback to the level expected, as evident by having the fifth-fewest sacks in the NFL. They had none in the season-ending loss to Kansas City, despite facing a hobbled Patrick Mahomes and allowed backup QB Chad Henne to engineer a 98-yard touchdown drive when he filled in for one series.
The problem for this defense was lack of consistency. Caldwell never knew from one week to the next which one would show up.. This is where the Jaguars need the biggest upgrade. They could use an impact cornerback to complement Campbell and another quality pass-rusher. Their young linebacker corps must do a better job in pass coverage, particularly against tight ends.
Patterson, acquired August 31 off waivers from the Detroit Lions, finally settled what had been an awkward situation trying to find a reliable kicker. Coach Heath Farwell’s coverage units did their part by holding the opposition to 7.0 yards on punt returns, good for sixth in the league. Kickoff coverage held opponents to 21.5 yards for a ranking of 13th.
Patterson hasn’t been around the NFL long enough yet to be guaranteed a job next season, so it’d be wise to bring in some competition for him during training camp. With one more year left on Agnew’s contract, it’s comforting for the Jaguars to still have one of the league’s most dangerous returners. Cutting him for salary-cap purposes would be a really bad idea.
By no means was the coaching staff perfect — not with the offensive shortcomings against Houston and Denver, or the defense failing to close out games at Washington, Indianapolis or home against the New York Giants — but there has to be context to this grade. You have to consider where Pederson was in the rebuilding process after the Meyer train wreck.
With all the core members of the team, the message about sticking to the Pederson process and being optimistic that the Jaguars would turn things around remained intact.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Comparison: 2022 Nissan Rogue vs 2022 Kia Sportage HEV | Car Reviews | Auto123How to choose between the 2022 Nissan Rogue and the 2022 Kia Sportage HEV? Auto123 compares .
Read more »
Comparaison : Nissan Rogue 2022 vs Kia Sportage HEV 2022 | Essais routiers | Auto123Comment choisir entre le Nissan Rogue 2022 et le Kia Sportage HEV 2022 ? Auto123 s’est posé la question.
Read more »
A.J. Foyt Racing Explains Why It's Changing IndyCar Car Number from 88 to 55Car will be driven by Benjamin Pederson in the NTT IndyCar Series.
Read more »
Trevor Lawrence Vows Jaguars’ Rise, Success Is Only BeginningTrevor Lawrence vowed to help Jacksonville find success next season in his first Instagram post since the Jaguars’ 27–20 divisional-round loss
Read more »
Gene Frenette: Jaguars fans getting fun, entertaining product they have long deservedAfter more than a decade of misery, the Jaguars have the right coach and quarterback combination to bring a fun, entertaining product to Jacksonville.
Read more »
Jaguars season review: Josh Allen, Foye Oluokun revitalize Jacksonville's defenseJacksonville's defense rose to levels not seen since 2017, anchored by Rayshawn Jenkins, Josh Allen and Foye Oluokun. Can they do it again in 2023?
Read more »