10 biggest What Ifs in Jacksonville Jaguars history
By Jeff Tice
All NFL teams have made decisions they deeply regret. The Jacksonville Jaguars have had plenty of those throughout their history. While there's not much they can do about it, it's easy to wonder what would've happened if things had played out differently, what if they had taken another path?
Some of these "What If" moments are bigger than others but all of them would have affected the Jaguars one way or another. With this in mind, here are the biggest What-Ifs in team history.
No. 10 biggest "What If" in Jaguars history: Morten Andersen's kick in 1996
One of the biggest moments in the history of the franchise to date happened very early on. In 1996, only the second season of the team's existence, the plucky Jaguars had turned around a rough start to the season. They entered their final regular season game having reeled off four wins in a row by less than a touchdown, earning the moniker, "Cardiac Cats," and positioning themselves to make the playoffs.
All they needed to do was handle their business against a lowly 3-12 Falcons team, and they were in. However, Atlanta had other plans, and as Pro Football Hall of Fame kicker Morten Andersen lined up for a 30-yard chip shot to win the game in the final seconds, all seemed lost. Miraculously, Andersen slipped, causing the field goal to sail wide, sending the stadium crowd into delirium, and the Jaguars to their first playoff appearance.
If Andersen makes that kick, the incredible performances of the '96 playoff run never happen. There are no thrilling victories against Denver and Buffalo. No "Jagwads," no Tony Boselli dominating Bruce Smith, and no legendary run by Mark Brunell.
In subsequent seasons, perhaps the team continues to perform as they did. But without the confidence earned with those playoff performances in '96, maybe they don't. Maybe the confidence in Tom Coughlin wanes. Without that performance by Boselli against Bruce Smith, it's conceivable that he never gets into the Hall of Fame. Maybe the entire trajectory of the franchise reflects the path of one shanked kick.