3 dream scenarios for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023

1. The Jaguars reach the AFC Championship for the first time since 2017

With Trevor Lawrence at the helm, the Jags are poised to compete in 2023. However, he's not the only playmaker that is expected to get much better in 2023. The addition of Calvin Ridley should help fellow receivers Zay Jones and Christian Kirk find more favorable matchups. This should in turn help them post even better numbers than last year.

In the same manner, Ridley's arrival should incentivize Lawrence to take more deep shots. This will help Travis Etienne go against loaded-up boxes less frequently. Speaking of Etienne, he's putting in the work to improve after a successful debut season in 2022. On defense, an improvement is also expected. Although the front office didn't make any huge additions to that side of the ball, they gave new contracts to defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton and defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris. Furthermore, they bolstered the depth of most position groups in the draft.

Leaving aside their talent level, the Jaguars are entering their second year under Doug Pederson. Right off the bat, he proved to be a huge upgrade over Meyer. In just his first season as the head coach, the Jags won the AFC South and made the playoffs.

Now in Year 2 of the Pederson era, Jacksonville should set their sights on the AFC Championship. With the most-balanced roster they've had in years and a franchise quarterback leading the way, there's no reason to believe the Jags can reach the Conference game. It won't be easy though. They'll face some of the best teams in the league in the regular season but they have the talent to put up a fight, so don't be surprised if the Jaguars are the talk of the town next January.