5 way-too-early predictions for Jaguars 2022 season

5. The Jaguars won’t make the playoffs but will be competitive.

Not all the predictions on this list are positive. Sure, the Jaguars are arguably in the best shape they’ve been in years but that’s a low bar to clear when you take into account that they’ve won just 15 games over the last four seasons.

There’s an arms race going on in the AFC and the Jags are not in a position to compete with the rest of the conference yet. In fact, they’re not even the best team in their division, finishing last in 2021, so they must climb a steep hill before they can start talking about the postseason.

The silver lining is that the Jaguars are finally rebuilding the right way. Despite the fact that general manager Trent Baalke is persona non-grata (or maybe because of it), he hit it out of the ballpark this offseason, making upgrades to pretty much every position group on the roster. Moreover, Jacksonville has a Super Bowl-winning head coach in Doug Pederson.

Under the right leadership, the Jags will be the most competitive they’ve been since 2017 and will keep games close. There will be some heartbreaking losses during the 2022 season but they will help them build character and make them a better more well-rounded team down the road.

It would be great to see the Jaguars return to the playoffs but winning seven or eight games would be a gigantic step in the right direction for a team that has been in the cellar of the cellar these past few years.