The Jaguars took a gigantic step forward last year, and not just offensively. They also allowed over 100 fewer points, making them the 6th-most improved overall team of the last 20 years.
In the 32-team era, only 23 teams (about one per year) have improved by over 200 points, and they’re shown below. The Jaguars scored 151 more points, while also allowing 107 fewer. That averages out to an improvement of 15.2 points per week.
| MOST IMPROVED TEAMS (by points) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Off | Def | Total |
| 2013 | Kansas City | 219 | 120 | 339 |
| 2017 | LA Rams | 254 | 65 | 319 |
| 2012 | Denver | 172 | 101 | 273 |
| 2019 | San Francisco | 137 | 125 | 262 |
| 2004 | San Diego | 133 | 128 | 261 |
| 2022 | Jacksonville | 151 | 107 | 258 |
| 2020 | Miami | 98 | 156 | 254 |
| 2006 | New Orleans | 178 | 76 | 254 |
| 2021 | Dallas | 135 | 115 | 250 |
| 2008 | Baltimore | 110 | 140 | 250 |
| 2017 | Jacksonville | 99 | 132 | 231 |
| 2018 | Indianapolis | 170 | 60 | 230 |
| 2015 | Carolina | 161 | 66 | 227 |
| 2010 | Detroit | 100 | 125 | 225 |
| 2013 | Philadelphia | 162 | 62 | 224 |
| 2010 | St. Louis | 114 | 108 | 222 |
| 2010 | Oakland | 213 | 8 | 221 |
| 2008 | Atlanta | 132 | 89 | 221 |
| 2014 | Houston | 96 | 121 | 217 |
| 2016 | Dallas | 146 | 68 | 214 |
| 2007 | Green Bay | 134 | 75 | 209 |
| 2007 | Tampa Bay | 123 | 83 | 206 |
| 2012 | Tampa Bay | 102 | 100 | 202 |
A lot of that change, of course, is tied to the team previously being a disaster. Jacksonville picked No. 1 overall in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. Now that the nowhere-to-go-but-up dynamic is removed, it becomes hard to post improved numbers.
Of those previous 22 teams that improved by over 200 points, only one came back and again won more games and scored more points. Only two of those 22 previous teams won more games, and only 16 of those 22 scored more points. (Note in the chart below that it focuses more on the offense – points scored – rather than overall net points.)
The Jaguars enter this season with some offensive line issues. Right tackle Jawaan Taylor signed with Kansas City. And left tackle Cam Robinson reportedly will be suspended for the first six games for a PED violation. (That’s the expectation, anyway; it was reported to be in the works in late April, but the league hasn’t yet announced a Robinson suspension.) On the plus side, Calvin Ridley adds a dimension to their receiving corps, while Trevor Lawrence should continue to develop.
In the chart below, it shows the same 23 teams. If a team won fewer games, it’s tagged with a black dot. If its offense scored fewer points, it’s tagged with a black dot.
| MOST IMPROVED (the next season) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | W-L | W/Diff | Pts Off | Pts/Dif |
| 2013 | •• Kansas City | 9-7 | -2 | 22.0 | -4.5 |
| 2017 | LA Rams | 13-3 | 2 | 32.9 | 8.3 |
| 2012 | Denver | 13-3 | 0 | 37.8 | 13.5 |
| 2019 | •• San Francisco | 6-10 | -7 | 23.5 | -3.7 |
| 2004 | •• San Diego | 9-7 | -3 | 26.1 | -1.4 |
| 2022 | Jacksonville | ?-? | ? | ? | ? |
| 2006 | •• New Orleans | 7-9 | -3 | 23.6 | -1.2 |
| 2020 | •• Miami | 9-8 | -1 | 20.0 | -9.6 |
| 2008 | • Baltimore | 9-7 | -2 | 24.4 | .4 |
| 2021 | • Dallas | 12-5 | 0 | 27.4 | -.4 |
| 2017 | •• Jacksonville | 5-11 | -5 | 15.3 | -9.7 |
| 2018 | •• Indianapolis | 7-9 | -3 | 22.5 | -2.7 |
| 2015 | •• Carolina | 6-10 | -9 | 23.0 | -.3 |
| 2010 | • Detroit | 10-6 | 4 | 29.6 | -1.3 |
| 2013 | Philadelphia | 10-6 | 0 | 29.6 | 1.9 |
| 2010 | •• St. Louis | 2-14 | -5 | 12.0 | -15.2 |
| 2010 | • Oakland | 8-8 | 0 | 22.4 | -1.3 |
| 2008 | •• Atlanta | 9-7 | -2 | 22.6 | -3.2 |
| 2014 | • Houston | 9-7 | 0 | 21.1 | -5.6 |
| 2016 | •• Dallas | 9-7 | -4 | 22.1 | -1.3 |
| 2007 | • Green Bay | 6-10 | -7 | 26.1 | 3.3 |
| 2007 | Tampa Bay | 9-7 | 0 | 22.5 | .5 |
| 2012 | •• Tampa Bay | 4-12 | -3 | 18.0 | -12.9 |
—Ian Allan