The Jaguars finished strong to win the AFC South in 2022, but history did not repeat itself in 2023.
Jacksonville looked like a contender for the top seed in the conference with an 8-3 record through their first 11 games last year, but they would only win one of their final six games. Their final loss came against a dismal Titans team in Week 18 and it handed the division title to the Texans while ensuring the Jaguars would not return to the playoffs for the second straight season.
The Jags returned to work this week for the first time since packing up their lockers and linebacker Foye Oluokun said the way that last season ended will “never be in the rear view” as they prepare to get back on the field later this year.
“I think it’ll fuel us,” Oluokun said, via the team’s website. “Everybody’s committed to doing things right this time around. We don’t want to get in that position again and it starts from the first game all the way to the last – just keeping improving every week no matter where the scoreboard is, keeping our standard every week. Sometimes you win games that you didn’t play your best in. You don’t learn from them if you’re not trying to get better. I think that kind of happened to us and we’re not going to do that this year.”
The Texans and Titans have taken some big swings this offseason while the Colts have brought back most of the team that just fell short of the playoffs while playing without quarterback Anthony Richardson, so the AFC South looks a bit more daunting than it did a year ago. That will require a more consistent performance from the Jags if they want a different result.
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