4 takes on the Jaguars 2022 season that didn't age well
By Jeff Tice
Things I was wrong about No. 4: The fans were ready to bail
Here's the first one of four things I got wrong about the Jags.
"If the Jags go to London and lose to a 2-5 Denver Broncos team that is arguably having a more disappointing season, the stadium could be a ghost town against the Raiders. The term “must win” is one of the most overused terms in sports. But, Jaguars fans are fractured. They are cracked porcelain, ready to shatter with the next jolt. If the Jacksonville Jaguars expect the fans to even consider coming back in 2022, they must win in London, and look good doing it."
- Jeff Tice, Black and Teal
Um, whoops. Prior to the Jaguars playing the Broncos in London last year, I made some pretty strong statements about fan attendance, ticket sales, and the overall mindset of fans in Jacksonville.
Unfortunately, the Jags did go to London and lay an egg. But, they returned to play in front of nearly 63,000 fans. Granted, lots of them were Raiders fans, but I went ahead and said their fans probably weren't going to travel and gobble up tickets either, since they were having a bad season too.
After falling behind early, it seemed as if the Raiders were about to blow the Jaguars out of their own stadium. As a bonus admission, I'll tell you I was losing hope at that point. But, then, everything changed, not only within that single game but also for the whole season. You can relive it here courtesy of the Jaguars' masterful internal video department. I highly encourage it!
At the time, the 17-point comeback was the second-largest in team history. So, those of us who were feeling defeated certainly had a decent reason.
But, bottom line: there were plenty of fans in attendance to watch the beginning of the 2022 Jacksonville Jaguars' season turnaround, and it would be just a hint of the resilience possessed by the incredible fans of Duuuval.