Jaguars spent 2023 ‘looking for that spark’ that never came

An 8-3 start to the 2023 season was flushed down the drain by the Jacksonville Jaguars. After a four-game losing streak in December put the team’s postseason hopes in jeopardy, those hopes officially went down in flames in a season finale loss to the Tennessee Titans.

In just about every way, 2023 was the polar opposite of the team’s storybook 2022 season. Jacksonville entered that year with low expectations after back-to-back last place finishes and stumbled its way to a 4-8 record through 13 weeks. But the season was saved by a five-game win streak that vaulted the Jaguars into the playoffs as an unlikely Cinderella story.

“Last year, it was like we had a spark,” Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen said Sunday after the team’s 28-20 loss. “We had a fire. We had a determination. We had a want. This year, we were looking for that spark. And we never got that lit. We have to figure out if we do have one, and if we don’t one, we need to find a way to win games.”

“It was easy last year when there was no expectation or you’re in last place. It’s easy,” safety Andrew Wingard said. “It’s super easy when you’ve got nothing to lose. I’ve been in that situation. It’s easy to not care and go play your best ball because you’re free.”

The result was a Jaguars team that collapsed in two primetime matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens with a chance to establish itself as an AFC powerhouse. Then it couldn’t right the ship when the losses started to stack up.

“The thing is, you can’t sit around and wait for a spark,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said. “You got to be the spark, right? That’s either me being it, or Josh [Allen] being it, or Trevor [Lawrence] being it or something when that other team catches fire. That’s all part of learning how to win, learning how to do things right repeatedly week in and week out.”

That was a lesson the Jaguars hoped they could learn on the fly, but couldn’t figure out in time to salvage a 2023 season that will be remembered as one of the team’s most frustrating years.