Jacksonville Jaguars Hit With Rough Prediction From NFL Analyst

The Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL last year, finishing 9-8 and missing the playoffs in spite of an 8-3 start.

There was quite a bit of buzz surrounding the Jaguars heading into 2023 thanks to their scintillating second half from the previous year, where Trevor Lawrence finally began validating his status as the No. 1 overall pick from 2021 and led Jacksonville to a thrilling come-from-behind Wild Card Round postseason victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Unfortunately for Jags fans, Lawrence and Co. fell flat, and now, the Jaguars have been rendered essential afterthoughts in an improving AFC South division that now appears to be ruled by the Houston Texans.

To make matters worse, Jacksonville has a brutal schedule early on in the 2024 campaign, and it’s why Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine is expecting the Jags to have a rough start to September.

Ballentine notes that the Jaguars will face the high-flying Miami Dolphins on the road in Week 1 before facing the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense in the Cleveland Browns the following game.

Then, Jacksonville will endure back-to-back road matchups against the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans.

All four of those opponents made the playoffs last year, and none won less than 10 games.

Can Trevor Lawrence bounce back after a tough 2023?

Lawrence’s career has been quite the conundrum thus far.

He had a miserable rookie campaign, leading the NFL with 17 interceptions. Then, in 2022, Lawrence broke through with 25 touchdowns, eight picks and that exciting playoff win, which had many feeling that the Clemson product had finally arrived.

But, the 24-year-old took a major step back last season, finishing with 21 touchdowns and 14 picks while posting a middling passer rating of 88.5.

That didn’t stop the Jaguars from handing Lawrence a massive five-year, $275 million deal, equaling him with Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow as the highest-paid player in NFL history.

In spite of Lawrence’s new deal, the question remains: just who is Trevor Lawrence?

Because realistically speaking, Lawrence has really only had one very good season out of three, and considering the hype that surrounded him coming out of college, that isn’t going to cut it.

Make no mistake about it: if Jacksonville wants to have any chance of making another run to the playoffs in 2024, Lawrence will have to play significantly better than he did last year.

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