Jacksonville Jaguars 2023 midseason team awards
• Here's a recognition for some of the players who've made it possible
The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the 2022 season with lots of potential but it took them a while to hit their stride. This year though, the bar was set considerably higher and the Jags were expected to be good from the get-go. So far, they haven't disappointed. They're 6-2 and riding a five-game winning streak ahead of Week 10. On top of that, they're the only club in the NFL that remains undefeated on the road.
While there's a lot of football left in the season, it's never to recognize the players who've been pivotal to the Jaguars' success. With that in mind here are the team's midseason awards.
Jacksonville Jaguars special teams player of the year: Brandon McManus, K
Riley Patterson proved to be a valuable waiver wire pickup last year, putting a stop to the revolving door at kicker the Jags had experienced throughout most of the offseason. However, the team's brass wasted no time dumping Patterson and going after veteran Brandon McManus when the Denver Broncos released him this past May.
The signing raised a few eyebrows since McManus was coming off a year in which he completed just 77.8 percent of his field goals. However, the Jaguars didn't seem worried as five of the eight attempts he missed were of 50+ yards.
Leaving aside a couple of missed attempts in Week 2, McManus has been pretty much automatic, completing 89.9 percent of his field goals. Moreover, the Jaguars no longer have to go for it on fourth down as often — a common occurrence last year due to Patterson's limited kicking range.
In a year in which the Jaguars didn't make many moves in free agency, it's fair to say that they got it right when they swapped Patterson for McManus.