The Jacksonville Jaguars believe they’ve built a sustainable winner.
There’s 23-year-old quarterback Trevor Lawrence who looks to already be among the best passers in the NFL. There’s a bevy of talented skill position players like Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Travis Etienne Jr., and Evan Engram. There’s former Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson on the sideline.
Buy Jaguars TicketsAfter winning the AFC South a year ago, the Jaguars are eying a step forward in the 2023 season. But is national media sold on the Jaguars? Largely, yes.
Here’s a sampling of what writers predict from the Jaguars in 2023:
USA Today (Nate Davis): 10-7
Nate Davis of USA Today is looking for the Jaguars’ young defenders to take the team from a good team to a great one:
They certainly appear on the upswing after their first division title since 2017 broke a string of four consecutive last-place finishes. And QB Trevor Lawrence and an ascending offense should only continue to trend upward if Calvin Ridley proves to be a WR1 after sitting out 2022 due to a gambling suspension. The Jags could really run away with an eminently winnable division if recent first-round defenders Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd and K’Lavon Chaisson contribute something closer to what’s expected of them than what they’ve provided to date. Also noteworthy that the Jaguars will become the first team to play in London twice in one season – in consecutive weeks and with no bye immediately following – but it should be interesting to see what (if any) effect that has for a team so accustomed to playing abroad.
Pro Football Network: 12-5
No team in the NFL will have a better record than the Jaguars, say the betting experts at Pro Football Network.
Despite the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ questionable offensive line and defense heading into this season, I’m very bullish on their 2023 outlook.
QB Trevor Lawrence took a major step forward last season and should be even better in his third season with WR Calvin Ridley now inserted in the offense. Lawrence’s set of playmakers around him is one of the best in the league and should help him continue to elevate.
Most importantly for the Jaguars this season, they play in the worst division in football (AFC South). If Jacksonville’s young defensive players — particularly 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker — take another step forward this season, and their offensive line holds its own, I think the Jaguars will be one of the best regular-season teams in 2023.
CBS Sports (Will Brinson): 11-6
Will Brinson of CBS Sports thinks the Jaguars will take an unconventional path through their regular season en route to another division crown.
I’ve got the Jaguars doing some super weird stuff, like losing to the Colts on the road and beating the Chiefs at home. IF the Jaguars are ready to take a leap there are some legitimate chances to showcase themselves as an AFC contender. There are also two weeks in London and a host of really difficult games here.
Bleacher Report (Kristopher Knox): 9-8
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report isn’t as bullish on the Jaguars as others, but doesn’t think they take a step backward.
The Jags should be considered the favorites in their division, but improving upon last season’s 9-8 record won’t be easy. The team didn’t exactly upgrade many positions, though the arrival of recently reinstated wideout Calvin Ridley, who was suspended for all of 2022 for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, could make for an exception.
The big question is whether Jacksonville can continue winning the turnover battle at a high rate (plus-five in turnover differential) despite having a defense that ranked 24th in yards allowed last season. The Jaguars were even worse against the pass (28th) and did pretty much nothing to address their secondary
Unless young defenders such as 2022 first-round picks Travon Walker and Devin Lloyd show tremendous growth, Jacksonville will have to continue relying on turnovers and a high-powered offense to win games—and no one will be taking the Jags lightly this season.
Sports Illustrated (Conor Orr): 10-7
Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated thinks that, despite a 10-7 record, the Jaguars finish second in the AFC South behind the Tennessee Titans.
Jaguars fans, don’t shoot. I had the teams finish with identical records so as to avoid offending the Mike Vrabel hive or the Trevor Lawrence hive. Unfortunately, ace editor Mitch Goldich actually went through all of the tiebreaker processes, which exposes my biases just a little bit. I think the Jaguars are going to be really good, and possibly amazing if we see the same second-year lift out of their young defensive players such as Travon Walker and Devin Lloyd that we saw out of Lawrence. Jacksonville seemed to overload Walker at times last year. He took on myriad responsibilities but, with more time in the same system, could be able to more fluidly and instinctively bounce between his coverage, contain and rush responsibilities.
Fox Sports (Ben Arthur): 10-7
Ben Arthur of Fox Sports doesn’t see many hurdles in the Jaguars’ way in 2023:
The scheduling gods were kind to the Jaguars. Their toughest opponents on paper — Chiefs (Week 2), Bills (Week 5), 49ers (Week 10), Bengals (Week 13) and Ravens (Week 15) — are reasonably spread out. Their toughest primetime opponents (Bengals, Ravens) are at home. They get the Bills on a neutral in London, where their fanbase is strong. They also have the 49ers at home. This is a schedule favorable for Jacksonville’s chances of repeating as AFC South champions.
