Every NFL season seems to feature at least one team that makes the quick turnaround from a losing record to a playoff spot.
There are 16 contenders for that kind of change of fortunes this year, including a Jaguars team that last experienced both a winning record and a trip to the postseason after the 2007 season. There are plenty of people who think the Jaguars can take a step forward from last year’s 5-11 record as they continue building their team in the fourth year of the coach Gus Bradley/General Manager Dave Caldwell partnership, but how far can they rise in one year?
Cornerback Davon House believes that they could rise all the way to the top of the league. The Jaguars host House’s old friends from Green Bay in the first week of the regular season and thinks that an impressive showing in that game can set them on a path blazed by the Panthers last year.
“It all starts off Week One,” House said, via the Florida Times-Union. “If we make a statement in Week One, we’re going to shock a lot of people in this league. How come we can’t be the Carolina Panthers of this year? No one thought Carolina would be 15-1.”
One big difference between the Jaguars of 2016 and the Panthers of 2015 is the pace of their rise. The Panthers won the NFC South in 2013 and 2014 and won a playoff game in 2014 before taking the leap to the front of the class last season. The Jaguars would be bypassing those steps, which might be a big ask for a team with young players all over the roster and no history of success under their belts.
While replicating the Carolina run may prove to be a bridge too far, there’s talent to work with and there’s no reason to believe that the worst is coming when the calendar still reads April.
