The Jacksonville Jaguars were a Cinderella story late in the 2022 season, rallying from a 4-8 start to the year to become the first team in NFL history to go from earning the first pick in the draft to winning a playoff game in one year.
Expectations will be a lot different for the Jaguars in 2023.
Jacksonville is a significant favorite to defend its AFC South title and not many teams are getting better odds to win Super Bowl LVIII. That switch from the hunter to the hunted in the division is not to be taken lightly, according to Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun.
“We definitely have the talent in the room to make some noise again, but it’s going to be different because a lot of teams are going to see us as the team to beat, at least in the division,” Oluokun said in a recent appearance on the World Wide Sports Radio Network. “We’re going to get everybody’s best shot, which is a whole different challenge, in itself. We’re going to have to learn how to play against everybody’s A game.
“When they see the Jacksonville Jaguars, they’ll say ‘Oh, they’re supposed the up and coming team, we have to bring our A game.’ We can’t really sneak up on teams, that means we have to be that much better to beat everyone at their best.”
The Jaguars are AFC South champions for just the second time in the division’s history. The only other time Jacksonville won the title was in 2017 and the team finished last a year later. Prior to that, the Jaguars were in the now defunct AFC Central, which they won in 1998 and 1999.
