Jaguars Legend Jimmy Smith Reminds Shannon Sharpe of 1996 Upset

One of the biggest games in Jaguars' history was brought up once again this week, and Jimmy Smith wasn't going to let Shannon Sharpe forget about it.

Jan. 4, 1997 will always be a date which goes down in Jacksonville Jaguars' lore. In the 25 seasons which have passed since the Jaguars played their first-ever down of football, there is maybe not a date that represents the team's place in NFL history more. 

That day was, of course, the day the Jaguars completed one of the great upset victories in the league's storied history. In only the franchise's second season, the Jaguars traveled to Mile High Stadium to go toe to toe with the 13-3 Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, leaving Denver with perhaps the greatest victory in team history.

The Jaguars were 14-point underdogs and were famously regarded by many as a pushover for the talented Broncos team, but the Jaguars would storm back from an early 12-0 deficit and win 30-27, capping off a monumental upset and bringing the upstart franchise one game closer to the Super Bowl.

The Jaguars would lose 20-6 to the New England Patriots in the Conference Championship round (yes, the Patriots, again), but that stinging loss didn't take away the jubilance from the victory in Denver. 

And this week, one of the key members of that upset victory wanted to remind a Denver rival all about the win. 

Former wide receiver Jimmy Smith is widely regarded as one of the three best players in Jaguars' history, and he was especially important to the Jaguars' chances during the playoff win vs. Denver. Early on Tuesday, Smith saw a tweet highlighting the Jaguars' historic upset, and made sure to dedicate the game to someone special. 

"Dedicate this to @ShannonSharpe," Smith tweeted in jest.

If anyone can talk braggadocious about the win in Denver, it is Smith. He caught three passes for 71 yards, including a third down touchdown pass from 16 yards out to put the Jaguars up 30-20 with 3:49 left in the game.

Sharpe was, of course, a Hall of Fame tight end for the Broncos whose career saw plenty more highs than lows. But the loss to the Jaguars stung him in an especially major way when it happened more than 20 years ago, so the reminder from Smith was unlikely a happy one.

"No matter what happens in the next three or four years, we'll always look back and say, `I can't believe we lost this one,''' he said. ``I don't think I'll ever be in a better situation than we had this year. Everything was just so ideal. And to have it slip away -- this sets the organization back four years, at least. It's going to be the year 2000 before we can ever recover from this," Sharpe told the Associated Press after the game. 

To watch the full game, which is provided for free by the NFL, click here.