5 Jaguars players who vastly improved their play after slow start to the season

The Jacksonville Jaguars went 6-2 before their BYE. However, the case could've been made that they could've been better if it weren't for a few issues affecting both sides of the ball. Specifically, their offensive line struggled to consistently protect Trevor Lawrence and open lanes for the running game. On defense, the pass rush disappeared at times.

These issues came back to haunt the Jags in their embarrassing loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11. On the bright side, that may've been the wake-up call they needed, as they've fixed things up the past two weeks.

Coincidentally, Jacksonville is sitting on a two-game winning streak entering Week 13. It's also helped that a handful of players have performed much better than they were early in the season. In particular, these five have improved considerably.

5. Brandon Scherff, OG

One of the biggest questions surrounding the Jaguars' acquisition of Brandon Scherff last year was his availability. A first-round pick in 2015, Scherff made five Pro Bowls during his stint with the Washington Commanders. However, he also missed time with injuries, having last played a full season in 2016.

While the former Iowa Hawkeye managed to suit up in all 17 games last season, his performance wasn't that of a Pro Bowl player. In his defense, he played through an abdomen injury and routinely popped up on the Injury Reserve. This year though, Scherff has played much better, but it took him a bit of time to put it all together. He gave up seven total pressures in the first three weeks. Since then, he's surrendered just five and just one sack all year long.

That's a big improvement, and Scherff's recent play is a reason the Jacksonville offensive line has operated at full steam as of late.