History of the Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a team from the National Football League. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference.

The team was first established in 1994. The National Football League was looking to expand and Jacksonville won the bid to become the next area, along with the Carolinas, to support a professional football team. The team would join the league with their fellow expansion team, the Carolina Panthers, in 1995.

The team began their play and has continued to play in the same stadium their entire existence, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. From the beginning the team was a threat to make the playoffs.

The team began play in 1995 and found more success than any franchise had ever achieved to that point in their expansion year. The team won 7 games. This total is 4 more than the highest total of any other team to join the NFL.

The team was led by the biggest star to ever play for the team, Mark Brunell. Brunell was known for his scrambling ability. His ability to move around in the pocket, coupled with his left handed throwing arm, drew many comparisons between him and Steve Young. Brunell was acquired by way of trade on the day of the draft from the Green Bay Packers.

In just the second year of the team’s existence they managed to pull off an amazing accomplishment backed by an amazing streak. They team started out the season just a 3-6 record. This was not a great start, but they were still a new team in the league. That is when things turned around completely. Andre Rison, a former star receiver, was past his prime and was passed up on the depth chart by Jimmy Smith. Smith came in and he and Brunell made an instant connection. The team went on to accomplish an incredible feat. They won 6 of their last 7 games. With this streak the team landed in the playoffs in just the 2nd year of the existence of the team.

The dream didn’t end with a playoff berth for the Jaguars. They continued to fight. The team went on to play the Buffalo Bills in the first round and stole a close victory by the score of 30-27. The team would advance to the next round. The next round held the challenge of the Denver Broncos. The Jaguars played tough from start to finish and secured another 30-27 victory. This landed the team in the AFC Championship game in just their second season. The New England Patriots stood in the way from any further progression for the team. The Jaguars couldn’t overcome the Pats and ended up losing 20-6.

That second season started a streak of 4 consecutive seasons making the playoffs for the Jaguars. This included 2 division championships in 1998 and 1999. The team’s success fell off after ’99. They didn’t make the playoffs again until 2005. They have not been able to secure the same consistency since the decline of Mark Brunell. The team has sat as a fringe team for a few years, but hasn’t proven a threat to win anything big for years.