Jaguars current turnaround began with Jets vs. Rams game in 2020

The Jacksonville Jaguars will face off against the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football, so now it’s a good time to look at the moment the Jags’ current turnaround started. Coincidentally, they wouldn’t probably be where they are if the Jets hadn’t beaten the Los Angles Rams and the Cleveland Browns near the end of the 2020 season.

It’s easy to forget it now but New York was 0-13 heading into Week 15 and in a prime position to earn the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Then-head coach Adam Gase probably figured he wouldn’t be around for much longer so instead of helping the Jets size the top selection, he decided to go his way, which led to wins against the Rams and the Browns. The Jags also did their part and lost to the Chicago Bears.

With the top pick in the draft, Jacksonville wasted no time and chose Trevor Lawrence while the Jets settled for Zach Wilson. But choosing Lawrence isn’t the sole reason the Jaguars are where they currently are. Also, bringing Urban Meyer aboard also played a role.

Think about it, owner Shad Khan could have hired a mediocre head coach but instead zeroed in on the worst one in NFL history. Had Khan hired someone else, the Jags wouldn’t have been in a position to pursue Doug Pederson and that’s the thing, they could’ve gone with Nathaniel Hackett or Byron Leftwich but ultimately believed Pederson was the right man to fill the vacancy left by Meyer.

The Jaguars have made the most of past mistakes in 2022

You have probably heard about the Butterfly effect, how something that feels inconsequential at any given moment can have meaningful repercussions in the future. In the Jaguars’ case, they would probably be struggling if they had held the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft. After all, there’s a good chance they might’ve taken Wilson, who was recently benched in favor of Mike White, the Jets quarterback of the present.

Similarly, it’s hard to tell whether the Jags would be succeeding if Byron Leftwich had become their head coach. General manager Trent Baalke, whom Leftwich wanted ousted, was responsible for signing players such as wide receivers Zay Jones and Christian Kirk, tight end Evan Engram and right guard Brandon Scherff.

Many things had to go right for the Jaguars over the last two years. The fact that they had to experience plenty of lows in that span makes their current success even sweeter. The best part is that this may be just the beginning of years of sustained success.