“Nobody believes in us” has to be the most ridiculous locker room motivational phrase of them all, especially when used by teams like the Georgia Bulldogs and Kansas City Chiefs. It’s a cheap fix for self-motivation and a slap in the face to underdog teams, like the Jacksonville Jaguars, that nobody really cares about.
The Jaguars receive more dismissals, disregards, and acts of disrespect than any other team among the 32 teams in the NFL. Even in the “Is Pepsi OK?” division of the AFC, which is where they play, they are unable to succeed. They have only had one season with ten or more wins, two postseason trips, and three postseason wins since 2007. The team that NFL executives sigh over and shove off to a random Thursday in order to fulfil the league’s mandate that every player get a national game is the one that gets shipped off to NFL boarding school in Europe the most.
But here’s the thing: the Jaguars have quietly posted a 6-2 record, tying the Chiefs and Dolphins for first place in the AFC, while the rest of the NFL world was sulking over Taylor Swift, trash-talking the Patriots, and debating whether the Cowboys are finally legitimate. At five games, they currently hold the longest winning streak in the league.
“I think the guys have handled it extremely well, the first half of the season, these first eight games, with all the travel, the Thursday game, in and out of hotels, things like that,” head coach Doug Pederson remarked following Sunday’s victory over Pittsburgh. “Happy for the guys on that.” Very happy with my 6-2 finish at the bye.”
The statistical evidence of the Jaguars’ offensive growth is there, but you have to look a little bit for it. In the majority of significant passing categories,e Trevor Lawrenc is ranked in the top 10. No player in the league has more carries (151) and touchdowns (7) than Travis Etienne, excluding Raheem Mostert. Despite the fact that the Jaguars haven’t yet had their bye week, Etienne’s 583 rushing yards are just six fewer than the league lead.
