Last season went pretty much as expected for the Jacksonville Jaguars – badly. The Jaguars weren’t predicted to do much in 2009, and they didn’t disappoint, as they went 7-9 SU during the regular season, finished last in the AFC South division, and missed the playoffs.
It was the second straight season Jacksonville missed the postseason and it showed in the stands, which were full of empty seats. Perhaps the fans could see the writing on the wall, as the Jaguars started the season with two straight losses. To add insult to injury, they finished it off with four consecutive losses while they were still in contention for a playoff spot.
One of Jacksonville’s biggest problems last season was on defense, particularly the pass rush. The team lost a number of key defensive players prior to the 2009 season, and it was quite evident. The Jaguars had just 14 quarterback sacks last year which put the team dead last in the NFL, while exposing the secondary to big passing plays.
In an effort to address the pass-rush problems, Jacksonville drafted defensive end Tyson Alualu from the California Golden Bears with their first pick, and defensive tackle D’Anthony Smith of Louisiana Tech in the third round, at the 2010 NFL Draft.
Things were not a lot better on offense, as the Jaguars struggled defending the pass. Jacksonville gave up 235.9 yards per game, which put them 27th in the NFL. The team gave up 23.8 points per game, ranking 24th in the NFL.
Quarterback David Garrard had another miserable campaign, passing for just 15 touchdowns and also tossing 10 interceptions. The one bright side on the offensive side of the ball was Running Back Maurice Jones-Drew, who had 1391 yards on 312 carries for a 4.5 yard per rush average, good for the 10th best rushing attack in the NFL last season.
Online sportsbooks have the Jaguars’ 2010 regular season win total at 7, with the under favored at -125 odds and the over at -105 odds. Jacksonville is among the longest of longshots to win Super Bowl XLV in February, at 70-1. The Jaguars are 35-1 to win the AFC Championship at sportsbooks and +1000 long shots to win the AFC South division.
The Jacksonville Jaguars play AFC South division rivals Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans both home and on the road this season.
The AFC South plays the AFC West and NFC East in 2010, meaning home games against the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders, and road games against the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers. It also means home games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins, and road games against the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.
And with their last place finish in the AFC South last season, the Jaguars also face two other AFC last place teams: a home game against the Cleveland Browns, and a road tilt against the Buffalo Bills.
Jacksonville plays just one primetime TV game in 201, a Monday Night Football clash at home against the Tennessee Titans in Week 6.
