The Jaguars 2024 Ineptitude Equals Hope in 2025

To be frank and 100% honest, the Jacksonville Jaguars and their fans suffered through one of the most disappointing of seasons in their entire 30-year history in 2024.

Coming off of two seasons of vast improvement and hope, the consensus in Northern Florida was that their big cats were about to turn the corner and contend. But the NFL gods were handing out bushels of lemons, and a truckload arrived at the team facilities and EverBank Stadium.

There's a motivational phrase that suggests that if a person is handed a bunch of lemons, they should make lemonade. But it would be more apropos if Head Coach Liam Coen's team gathered the proverbial citrus and threw them at somebody, namely the rest of the AFC.

That brand of aggressive football was something that wasn't even close to being evident in Duval last season. On the latest edition of the Jacksonville Jaguars Insider Podcast, On SI Beat Writer John Shipley suggested three things to be optimistic about Jags Football in 2025. The first of them being a potential response to the unexpected lost cause that was their 30th anniversary as a franchise.

"Considering the expectations the Jaguars had heading into the year, considering they made Trevor Lawrence the highest paid player in franchise history in the off-season, made Josh Hines-Allen the second highest player in franchise history, and the highest paid defender in franchise history, and made Tyson Campbell the highest-paid defensive back in franchise history all in the same offseason. That all resulted in a 4-13 season and resulted in the firings of Head Coach Doug Pederson, and later the ousting of GM Trent Baalke," noted Shipley.

"The first reason I think for optimism has to actually revolve around just how bad things were in 2024. 10 of the Jaguars' 13 losses were by only one score. That is a staggering amount. It set a modern NFL record for one-score losses in a season. Had the Jaguars had the ball go their way in even half of those games, you’re looking at a 9-8 football team instead of a 4-13 one."

"It’s kind of been proven in past years that teams bounce back pretty quickly from being one score losers the year before. A lot of times the pendulum just swings the other way around. For the team that was extremely unlucky the year before, things kind of balance out the next year."

"So, I think the Jaguars had very legitimate issues at the core and root of their team and DNA, which is ultimately why they went 4-13. But this is a team that was better than 4-13 on paper. And the fact that they lost so many one-score games despite having so many injuries at quarterback, wide receiver, despite having one of the worst defenses in the NFL, it's actually a relatively encouraging sign for the Jaguars moving into next season."

"But the fact that this Jaguars team, while record-wise was a disaster last year, was really just a handful of plays away from being near .500, if not even better, should give the Jaguars some hope that they’re not starting from complete ground zero in 2025. [The fact] that there was still something in the franchise that was on the roster last year is a positive sign and a building block moving forward."

"Simply put, the fact that they lost ten one-score games last year, you shouldn’t expect that to repeat. Instead, you should probably expect that number to be slashed. You know, whether it’s in half, whether that’s by 40%, one way or another, that number alone should be an encouraging sign for the Jaguars heading into 2025.”

Again, the Khan's football organization found a way to come close so many times last season, a good amount of games without the services of their franchise quarterback, Trevor Lawrence. With a little luck, a better plan and the purge of yellow fruit flying out of North Florida, fortunes have the potential of improving in Duval.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again this season.

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