2023 NFL playoffs Three reasons to root for Jaguars including Trevor Lawrence breakout new winning culture | Forum

The were not supposed to make the postseason in Year 1 with Doug Pederson, yet here they are. Jacksonville was sitting 2-6 and 4-8 at separate points this season. Then it won its last five games and rallied to win the AFC South with a winning record -- the franchise's first since 2017.Jacksonville went from the worst team in the NFL to a playoff team in just a season, with the culture changing overnight, thanks to Pederson and the program he established since the day he arrived with the franchise. The Jaguars went an-worst 47-130 from 2011 to 2021 (.266 win percentage), with just one winning season and a single playoff appearance in that span. Jacksonville already has a winning season and a division title under Pederson, the start of what could be a long run of playoff appearances for the franchise.Why should anyone hop on the Jaguars' bandwagon? Here are three reasons to root for the Jaguars to make a run this postseason, which could be the start of a very bright future for this franchise.Redemption stories are one of the great things about sports, and Pederson revitalizing his career in Jacksonville is one of them. There should have been little Duke Johnson Jersey doubt regarding Pederson's ability to coach, given he was the one who brought the their first Super Bowl title and snapped a 57-year championship drought for the franchise. Pederson's tenure in Philadelphia ended poorly -- through no fault of his own -- yet there were questions whether the Eagles' 2017 run was a one-year wonder or if Pederson could find sustained succe s (he is 4-1 in Genard Avery Jersey his playoff career, after all). Getting a second chance in Jacksonville, Pederson had a clean slate changing the culture of a program and having the opportunity to develop another franchise quarterback in -- similar to his stint in Philadelphia with .In Jacksonville, Pederson had the opportunity to choose his own coaching staff without front office interference. He controlled the day-to-day aspects of the locker room and called plays for the offense. More importantly, Pederson didn't have to have a weekly tribunal with the general manager and owner on football operations, letting Pederson conduct busine s on the field. This was a huge step for a franchise that has struggled to win games, trusting the Super Bowl champion coach to rebuild the organization.Pederson is the first coach in Jaguars history to win a division title and make the postseason in his first year with the team. He gave the Jaguars their first winning record since 2017 and led the team to just their second postseason appearance in the last 15 seasons. On top of winning on the field, Pederson has made Trevor Lawrence one of the most improved quarterbacks in football in just one season. Pederson could put the cherry on top of this surprising first season in Jacksonville with a playoff victory Saturday.Lawrence was supposed to put up numbers like this in his rookie year, but Urban Meyer was his head coach. The former No. 1 pick became the franchise quarterback under Doug Pederson that Jacksonville envisioned, completing 66.3% of his pa ses for 4,113 yards with 25 touchdowns to just eight interceptions for a 95.2 pa ser rating. Lawrence has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league over the last nine games, completing 69.7% of his pa ses for 2,273 yards with 15 touchdowns to just two interceptions for a 104.6 pa ser rating -- the second-best in the NFL. Of course, the Jaguars went 7-2 in that stretch.Lawrence has the largest pa s increase in pa ser rating for a No. 1 overall pick from Year 1 Greg Joseph Jersey to Year 2 since Terry Bradshaw (1970 to 1971), increasing his pa ser rating from 71.9 to 95.2 (+23.3 points). Lawrence had the highest pa ser rating from November to December (108.2) and the third-highest completion percentage (69.7%), which is when the Jaguars started turning their season around. He also was one of four players with 20-plus pa sing touchdowns and five-plus rushing touchdowns this season, joining , and -- each of whom is a top quarterback in the league. Playing at an elite level heading into the the postseason, it's time Larry Ogunjobi Jersey for Lawrence to shine on the biggest stage. Lawrence is the youngest quarterback in the ridiculously young AFC playoff field, but he's been playing at an elite level in the second half of the season.Lawrence can make his case as a top-10 quarterback with a playoff win in his first postseason start.Jacksonville has only been to the postseason eight times in the franchise's 28 seasons, but half of them were from 1996 to 1999. During that stretch, the Jaguars went 45-19 with two AFC Central titles and two AFC Championship game appearances. While Jacksonville didn't reach the Super Bowl, the Jaguars were a conference title contender in the late 1990s. Since that late-1990s run, the Jaguars have been one of the worst franchises in the NFL. Jacksonville had just three playoff appearances since 1999 with 16 losing seasons prior to its AFC South championship this year. The Jaguars won a playoff game in the 2007 season and made a surprise run to the AFC Championship in 2017 sandwiched in between 13 non-winning seasons in 14 years. Jacksonville has a 7-7 playoff record, but only three of those wins have come since the 62-7 thrashing of the in the divisional round of the 1999 playoffs.The Jaguars have been to the AFC Championship game three teams and are 0-3 in those matchups. Jacksonville is one of four franchises that have never played in a Super Bowl (the , and are the other three) and have a .420 win percentage as a franchise -- the second-lowest in NFL history (only the are lower).Why not root for a JC Tretter Jersey team like the Jaguars, who are finally experiencing a taste of succe s? Saturday's wild-card game is a day the Jaguars' fanbase has been waiting for a long time. Jacksonville may be on the verge of turning around the fortunes of the franchise.