The NFL season is pretty close, but before the season starts, teams have to prepare, beginning with training camp. On Wednesday, the NFL announced the training camp dates and locations for all 32 teams.
The NFL preseason will begin on Thursday, August 3, 2023, as the Browns battle the Jets in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
2023 Training Camp Reporting Dates and Locations
TEAM
SITE
LOCATION
ROOKIES
VETERANS
Arizona
State Farm Stadium
Glendale, AZ
7/25
7/25
Atlanta
IBM Performance Field
Flowery Branch, GA
7/18
7/25
Baltimore
Under Armour Performance Center
Owings Mills, MD
7/18
7/25
Buffalo
St. John Fisher University
Rochester, NY
7/18
7/25
Carolina
Wofford College
Spartanburg, SC
7/22
7/25
Chicago
PNC Center at Halas Hall
Lake Forest, IL
7/22
7/25
Cincinnati
Paycor Stadium
Cincinnati, OH
7/22
7/25
Cleveland
CrossCountry Mortgage Campus
Berea, OH
7/19
7/21
Dallas
Marriott Residence Inn
Oxnard, CA
7/25
7/25
Denver
Centura Health Training Center
Englewood, CO
7/19
7/25
Detroit
Detroit Lions Training Facility
Allen Park, MI
7/19
7/22
Green Bay
Lambeau Field
Green Bay, WI
7/21
7/25
Houston
Houston Methodist Training Center
Houston, TX
7/25
7/25
Indianapolis
Grand Park
Westfield, IN
7/25
7/25
Jacksonville
Miller Electric Center
Jacksonville, FL
7/21
7/25
Kansas City
Missouri Western State University
St. Joseph, MO
7/18
7/22
Las Vegas
Intermountain Health Performance Center and Raiders Headquarters
The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed K Brandon McManus, the team announced on Thursday.
Additionally, the team has waived K Riley Patterson.
McManus, 31, was released by the Broncos this week; he spent his whole career in Denver.
Last season, McManus converted 28/36 field goals.
In his nine seasons, McManus has converted 81.4 percent (223-of-274) of his field goal attempts, and his 40 made field goals of 50-plus yards are third-most in the NFL over that time span. His 946 total points are the fifth-most in the NFL since 2014.
He has appeared in four postseason contests and successfully converted all 10 field goal attempts, including two from 50-plus yards. He is one of two kickers to convert all field goal and extra point attempts (minimum 10 field goals made) in the postseason in the last nine seasons.
McManus was the last remaining member of the Broncos’ 2015 Super Bowl-winning team.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have placed the franchise tag on TE Evan Engram, the team announced Monday.
Engram is expected to make $11.3 million next season, but Engram is hoping for a long-term deal from Jacksonville, and the two sides have until July 17 to get that done.
Lord knows how excited my family and I are to be staying in Jax! Hopefully we can get a long term deal done soon 🙏🏽
Engram, who spent his first five seasons with the Giants before signing with the Jaguars last offseason, appeared in all 17 regular season games with 14 starts in 2022. He totaled career-highs in receptions (73) and receiving yards (766) and posted four touchdowns. Engram’s 73 receptions and 766 receiving yards both marked single season franchise records by a tight end.
In six seasons in the NFL, the 28-year-old has posted 335 career receptions, 3,594 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.
Engram was originally drafted by the New York Giants in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2017 draft from Ole Miss.
Ridley gets reinstated:
Also, on Monday, the NFL reinstated wide receiver Calvin Ridley. The 28-year-old, suspended indefinitely since March 2022 for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, is eligible to participate in all team activities, effective immediately.
In November, Ridley was acquired from the Falcons for conditional 2023 sixth-round and 2024 fourth-round picks.
In 49 games spanning four seasons with the Falcons, Ridley has 248 career receptions for 3,342 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Ridley had this to say about his reinstatement:
“Today’s reinstatement by the NFL brings an end to a challenging chapter of my professional career, one that was self-inflicted and began with an isolated lapse in judgment. I have always owned my mistakes, and this is no different. I have great respect for the game and am excited for the opportunity to restart my career in Jacksonville. I look forward to showing my new coaches, teammates, and the entire Jaguars organization exactly who I am and what I represent as a player and person.”
The Jacksonville Jaguars hired passing game coordinator Nick Holz, the team announced Thursday.
Holz, who will replace Jim Bob Cooter after he became the offensive coordinator with the Colts, was the offensive coordinator at UNLV last season.
Before his time at UNLV, Holz coached with the Las Vegas Raiders from 2012-21 in various roles on the offensive side of the ball. Holz served as the team’s assistant receivers coach (2017, 2021), offensive quality control coach (2015-16, 2018-20), and worked alongside the offensive staff from 2012-14.
While with the Raiders, Holz helped the development of receiver Hunter Renfrow, who earned his first trip to the NFL Pro Bowl in 2021 after posting career-highs in catches (103), receiving yards (1,038) and touchdowns (nine).
Before coaching with the Raiders, Holz was an offensive assistant at Stanford (2008-11), helping QB Andrew Luck earn first-team All-America honors and two Heisman Trophy runner-up finishes.
Holz’s coaching career began in 2007 at Nebraska, where he served as an offensive quality control coach and video intern.
On Thursday, the NFL announced the five teams set to play in the 2023 International Games. The Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots will each play international games during the 2023 regular season.
London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will once host two international games, with the Bills and Titans heading to the capital.
The Jaguars will return to their home away from home, Wembley Stadium, as part of their multi-year commitment to playing in the UK.
The 2023 season will also see the Chiefs and Patriots both play regular season games in Germany, with destination cities to be announced later this year.
The NFL previously confirmed that Munich and Frankfurt will stage games in Germany over the next four years.
The Chiefs and Patriots are part of the NFL’s International Home Marketing Area (IHMA) program, which sees teams secure international marketing rights in countries beyond the US, with both sides having been awarded rights in Germany.
This will be the second trip to London for both Buffalo and Tennessee, with the Bills having played there in 2015 and the Titans in 2018. The Jacksonville Jaguars, also an NFL IHMA side with marketing rights in the UK, will play their landmark 10th game in London this year. The Chiefs and the Patriots will make their debuts in Germany, following the inaugural international game there in Munich in 2022.
According to the league, there will be no international game in Mexico in 2023 due to renovations taking place in Estadio Azteca in Mexico City
Designated teams for 2023 International Games:
Buffalo Bills Location: UK, London Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tennessee Titans Location: UK, London Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Kansas City Chiefs Location: Germany
New England Patriots Location: Germany
Regular season home game in UK for 2023:
Jacksonville Jaguars Location: United Kingdom (London) Venue: Wembley Stadium
That was the score after Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker made a 23-yard field goal with 4:25 left in the first half on Saturday night.
Before that kick, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw four first-half interceptions, and Jacksonville committed five first-half turnovers.
After that field goal, Jacksonville scored a touchdown before the end of the first half as Lawrence connected with Evan Engram on a nine-yard touchdown pass to make it 27-7 at the break.
In his first playoff game, Lawrence finished the first half 10/24 for 77 yards, one touchdown, and, again, four interceptions.
“For myself, obviously yeah, definitely the worst half of my football life, of a lot of people’s football life, too,” Lawrence said about the first half. “Some type of history probably in that stat.”
Fortunately for Jacksonville and Lawrence, there was another half of football, and they took full advantage of it.
Lawrence settled down in the second half and was 18/23 for 211 yards and three touchdowns, and he finished the game 28/47 for 288 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions.
Ultimately, Jacksonville completed the third-greatest comeback in NFL postseason history when kicker Riley Patterson made a 36-yard field goal at the buzzer as they defeated the Chargers 31-30 at TIAA Bank Field.
With the win, Jacksonville moves on to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson played with a gunslinger in Brett Favre. The Hall of Famer had been known to bounce back from interceptions, so Pederson is very familiar with these types of performances from quarterbacks.
“I played with one of the greatest quarterbacks ever in Brett Favre, and there were times he didn’t have a great first half and came back in the second half and could light it up,” Pederson said. “That’s what I love about Trevor [Lawrence] and his demeanor and his aggressiveness and the ability to just forget and move on… But from an individual standpoint, this is really a great performance by our quarterback.”
According to Lawrence, he got more comfortable as the game went on.
“I felt like I was seeing it all right, and I just needed to settle in,” he said. “We didn’t get any momentum going, couldn’t get a drive going. Really just felt like we needed to settle in, and then our defense kept getting stops for us, and I knew once we get the ball and get rolling for that first score like we did at the end of the half. Once we kind of got that and got the momentum back, felt good about – we’ve been in that situation before, not that many points but similar situations. That’s the thing, just the belief in this team. It’s kind of – it’s really cool to see what can happen when everybody believes.”
Pederson says this win is one the greatest victories in his coaching career.
“My hats off to our guys, our team,” he said. “I told them after the game that other than obviously winning the Super Bowl a few years ago, greatest coaching victory as a team, this one is right up there with it. My hats off to our guys for just battling. As deep a hole as we dug in the first half, there was – you guys have been around our team; you know there’s no quit in our guys.”
This was a big win for Jacksonville, and fortunately for them, the Chargers cooperated, but credit to Lawrence for not giving up and credit to this team for fighting to the end.
The 2022 NFL regular season came to a close on Sunday. Some teams will look to the playoffs, while most teams head to the offseason and look to next season.
The league announced the opponents for all 32 teams for the 2023 season on Monday.
Below are the 2023 scheduling rotation and team-by-team opponents:
2023 SCHEDULING ROTATION BY DIVISION
AFC
EAST
Intraconference
AFC WEST
Interconference
NFC EAST
17th game
NFC SOUTH
AFC
NORTH
Intraconference
AFC SOUTH
Interconference
NFC WEST
17th game
NFC NORTH
AFC
SOUTH
Intraconference
AFC NORTH
Interconference
NFC SOUTH
17th game
NFC WEST
AFC
WEST
Intraconference
AFC EAST
Interconference
NFC NORTH
17th game
NFC EAST
NFC
EAST
Intraconference
NFC WEST
Interconference
AFC EAST
17th game
AFC WEST
NFC
NORTH
Intraconference
NFC SOUTH
Interconference
AFC WEST
17th game
AFC NORTH
NFC
SOUTH
Intraconference
NFC NORTH
Interconference
AFC SOUTH
17th game
AFC EAST
NFC
WEST
Intraconference
NFC EAST
Interconference
AFC NORTH
17th game
AFC SOUTH
2023 OPPONENTS
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills
Home: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders
Miami Dolphins
Home: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans
Away: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commander
New England Patriots
Home: Buffalo Bills,Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders
Away: Buffalo Bills,Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Jets
Home: Buffalo Bills,Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders
Away: Buffalo Bills,Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants
2023 OPPONENTS
AFC NORTH
Cincinnati Bengals
Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks
Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans
Baltimore Ravens
Home: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks
Away: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans
Pittsburgh Steelers
Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans
Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks
Cleveland Browns
Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans
Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks
2023 OPPONENTS
AFC SOUTH
Jacksonville Jaguars
Home: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers
Away: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Home: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks
Away: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Indianapolis Colts
Home: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots
Houston Texans
Home: Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets
2023 OPPONENTS
AFC WEST
Kansas City Chiefs
Home: Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles
Away: Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Jets
Los Angeles Chargers
Home: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins
Away: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans
Las Vegas Raiders
Home: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers
Away: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins
Denver Broncos
Home: Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Washington Commanders
Away: Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins
NFC EAST
Philadelphia Eagles
Home: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers
Away: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Commanders, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dallas Cowboys
Home: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks
Away: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers
New York Giants
Home: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks
Away: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers
Washington Commanders
Home: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers
Away: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks
NFC North
Home: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles
Detroit Lions
Home: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks
Away: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Green Bay Packers
Home: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers
Chicago Bears
Home: Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders
Away: Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders
NFC SOUTH
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Home: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans
Away: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers
Carolina Panthers
Home: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings
Away: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans
New Orleans Saints
Home: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans
Away: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriot
Atlanta Falcons
Home: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders
Away: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans
NFC WEST
San Francisco 49ers
Home: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders
Seattle Seahawks
Home: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders
Away: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans
Los Angeles Rams
Home: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders
Away: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants
Arizona Cardinals
Home: Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants
Away: Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders
After 10 games, the Tennessee Titans were 7-3, while the Jaguars were 3-7.
At that point, no one gave the Jaguars much of a chance to win the AFC South, but eight weeks later, the tables have turned.
The Jaguars(9-8) won the AFC south and will make playoffs for the first time since 2017 after defeating the Tennessee Titans 20-16 at TIAA Bank Field on Saturday night to win their fifth straight game.
Tennessee(7-10) finished the season with a seven-game losing streak.
Jacksonville trailed the Titans 16-13 in the fourth, and their defense made the play of the game. DE/OLB Josh Allen scored the first touchdown of his career on a 37-yard fumble return after safety Rayshawn Jenkins’s strip sack of Titans QB Josh Dobbs.
In his first season as Jaguars head coach, Doug Pederson won nine games, the second-most in franchise history by any coach in their first season with the team.
Jacksonville trailed for most of the of the contest, but found a way to win, and according to Pederson, this game epitomized the season for the Jaguars.
“It’s like I told the guys a second ago, that this game tonight kind of symbolizes our season,” Pederson said. “There were some struggles. There were some highs, some lows, but in the end, we had the victory. I’m so proud of the guys for the way they have just all season long just hung together and, you know, through the face of adversity at times and even through some of the high moments, you know, we just stayed the same.”
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who completed 20-32 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown on Saturday night, said the team kept the faith.
“Just how this year has gone,” Lawrence said. “The ups and downs and just the belief that we’ve had the whole time. You kind of saw it all come together today. And even just how we had to win the game, it wasn’t always pretty, but [we] just found a way to win.”
After the game, Lawrence and Pederson embraced on the field, which Lawrence discussed.
“You know, just told him I loved him,” Lawrence said. “I’m appreciative of him, just what he has done for this place. Obviously, it takes more than just a coach, but what he has been able to do for this organization has been incredible, and just excited for the future. We get another opportunity to play next week. That’s all that means is we get to play again next week, and there’s not many teams that get to say that at this point.”
Pederson won a Super Bowl in 2017 with the Eagles, so he knows what it takes to win at the highest level. According to Pederson, Jacksonville’s 27-20 win over the Raiders in Week 9, where they came back from a 17-0 deficit, was the moment he realized this team was special.
“Listen, we knew that it was going to be about what we did, you know,” Pederson said. “When we turned the ball over, that’s us. When we don’t make tackles, that’s us. When we miss field goals, that’s us, right? It’s about us, and it’s always going to be about us. I think that’s when we realized that, hey, we’ve got a pretty good football team if we could just eliminate those mistakes. We got into the bye. Obviously, you think — go back to the Raider game. You’re down 17 points in that game, and there was no flinch. Really at that moment, I think, is when we realized that this football team is a special team. We can make a run at the end of the year and see what happens.”
Jacksonville’s season would still have been a success if they had lost against the Titans, but they buckled down and got a big win. Now, they get a home playoff game against the Chargers, who they routed in Los Angeles during the regular season, so they have a good shot at advancing in the postseason.
