And so the second Ground Zero Madden League Night of Streams kicked off, with three primed matchups looking for success as we enter the midway point of the season. After giving away 14 Star devs on the first night of streams, the GZ admin team decided to tighten the requirements, by raising the minimum number of correct guesses required for a free Star dev from 6/9 to 7/9. Furthermore, if you were a player on the stream games, you would only require 4/6 not including your game, as this prevents possible tampering while promoting people to want to be on stream (67% is much easier to hit as compared to 78%). Superstar devs still require either 9/9 or completing guessing the score AND winner together, to earn. And the effects were immediately apparent.

The slate of entertainment for the night was excellent, featuring 3 great games, and 3 individual guest commentators to come on stream, talk about their teams and outlooks, and help provide some entertaining commentary as the games progressed. We opened with the defensive duel between the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers (OSCAR) and the home Philadelphia Eagles (NIC) featuring guest speaker NATE (Miami Dolphins), followed by the AFC battle between the Denver Broncos (CHUCK) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (VICTOR) with POODGE (Los Angeles Rams), and closed out with the highly offensive battle between the Las Vegas Raiders (SCOTT) and the New Orleans Saints (WITHE) and the energetic ANT (Indianapolis Colts).

Game one favored the Eagles, coming in with a favorable spread (-2.5), was tied for highest projected total of the night at 56.5 total points, and included a prop bet for the over/under of combined turnovers at 7.5 Most of the GZ community backed the home town favorites but were stunned to find that the rest of the game did not go as expected. Right off the bat, defenses reigned supreme, as the Eagles started with the ball, drove down to the 1, and immediately scored the only points of the quarter by way of the foot of K Jake Elliott. From here, sacks, picks, and punts dominated the game. An interception by Minkah Fitzpatrick gave the ball to the Steelers at the end of the first quarter (3-0 PHI), though the yellow could not take advantage. A second PIT pick by Myles Jack, however, yielded 3 points for the Steelers as they managed to bring it back down the field. Starting another drive, the Eagles threw a quick interception, nabbed by PIT cornerback Levi Wallace, but cornerback James Bradberry grabbed one right back to give Philly a chance at the 2 minute warning. A Philly field goal followed, and then a second scoring opportunity arose behind a late interception with less than a minute in the half by PHI Bradberry, but an immediate interception from Fitzpatrick gave life to the Steelers, who ended the half with a hail mary connection from Baker Mayfield to Calvin Austin to put the Steelers up 10-6, before the Eagles took a knee, a GZ Night of Streams first, to end the half at 6 interceptions.

The second half faired a bit better for the offenses, as a first drive punt by the Steelers was followed by long touchdown catch and run from AJ Brown, giving Philly the 13-10 lead. The Steelers responded with a FG, but Philly struck quickly again, on a dart across the field to Devonta Smith, who ran it another 30 yards for the score to give the Eagles a 20-13 lead. Looking to strike again, Baker threw into coverage at the Philly side of the ball and safety Jaquiski Tartt came down with the grab, turnover number 7 in the game. Hurts' drive didn't end much better, though, as a throw out of a sack resulted in a pass to the linebacker Devin Bush, who grabbed interception number 8 on the game. The Steelers ended up with a power run to tie the game 20-20, on the back of veteran Benny Snell. With little time on the clock, though, the Eagles took a methodical drive down and kicked the game winner with no time left, finishing the game at 23-20, landing the under for the total and the over for turnovers.

The second game, featured a former Super Bowl Champion in the Broncos and a former Super Bowl runner-up in the Jaguars, in a game where the visiting Broncos were favored (-1.5), the total was the lowest of the games (52.5) and the prop bet was the over/under of combined passing touchdowns (4.5). The game looked to be an immediate repeat of game 1, as the over/under was lower and the user stick skills of these two players are top tier, when the Broncos' cornerback Patrick Surtain intercepted QB Trevor Lawrence's first pass, and the Broncos immediately took it across the endzone, as rookie sensation QB Desmond Ridder found solid tight end Albert Okwuegbunam for the first score of the game, 7-0 Broncos, and the first passing touchdown of the game. Jacksonville quickly responded with a huge run from HB James Robinson and a playaction pass to tight end Evan Engram to even the game at 7-7, with the second passing touchdown coming before halfway through the first quarter. A littlle bit of trickery after a forced punt from Jacksonville, and HB Travis Etienne carried it across the line for the Jaguars' second touchdown (14-7). The Broncos quickly responded, though, with good vision and power running from HB Javonte Williams, who took a huge run down to the red zone, followed by a power push to score and even the game at 14-14. As the clock continued to run, a pass from Lawrence to WR Marvin Jones got the ball down to the 1 yard line, before Lawrence kept it for a QB sneak and rushing TD, to give the Jaguars a 21-14 lead. Inside a minute, with no timeouts remaining, the Jaguars stopped the Broncos on 4th across the 50, with a pair of medium-long passes from Lawrence, got down to the 1, and took a field goal to end the half with a 24-14 lead, with 2 passing touchdowns and a combined 38 points at half.

The second half, however, was completely different. A field goal on the opening Broncos drive, after taking more than half the quarter worth of the clock, brought the game within a score, 24-17. A nice user lurk from LB Baron Browning and the Broncos took over the ball, early in the 4th, in a one score game. However, after crossing into Jaguars territory, Ridder took a shot to Courtland Sutton in the endzone, but throwing off his back foot to avoid teh sack led to an interception from Jaguars' cornerback Shaquill Griffin. A clutch 4th down conversion, a few solid passes, a good Broncos goal line stand (including a stop on a QB Sneak), and a field goal later, the Jaguars held a 27-17 lead with about a minute left. With no timeouts remaining, the Broncos were were in dire straits but a game sealing inteception from safety Rayshawn Jenkins locked up the win for Jacksonville, 27-17, with the under on the total and under on the prop both hitting.

The third and final game, between the Raiders and the Saints, came with more high scoring expectations, despite the low scores of the first two games. The Saints were the favorites at home (-1.5), with the over/under being set at 56.5 and the prop challenging bettors to pick which team would have the longest play from scrimmage. The first points came midway through the first on a Saints field goal 3-0. Raiders' QB Derek Carr attempted to get the points back quickly, but threw a pick to New Orleans' cornerback Paulson Adebo, which HB Alvin Kamara rewarded with a touchdown push up the middle that found paydirt at home (10-0). Another punt and a quarter ending bomb to TE Taysom Hill from QB Phillip Hewitt saw the Saints take a 17-0 lead through one. The Raiders settled in at the half, though, and quickly started closing the gap as they kicked a field goal to start the quarter, forced a punt, and then moved to the goal line on a huge shot to TE Darren Waller, followed by a touchdown run by HB Josh Jacobs to get within a score (17-10). The Saints responded with a massive 65 yard touchdown catch and run from WR Michael Thomas, and the Saints extended their lead back to two scores (24-10). With a minute on the clock, the Raiders drove down the field and scored on Jacobs' second touchdown run. In an attempt to put points on the board again before half, Hewitt threw a pick to end the half and neutralized the morale difference between the two teams, as they enter halftime, Saints leading 24-17 and getting the ball in the second half.

After a quick offensive drive, ending with a punt for the Saints, the Raiders looked to even the score, as Jacobs took the ball and started sprinting down the sideline. However, a hit from Adebo and a scoop by CB Marcus Lattimore before the ball hit the grass out of bounds (which elicited the ANT scream that everyone was waiting for) gave the ball back to the Saints, who couldn't take advantage as they immediately threw a pick, undercut by Raiders' CB Trayvon Mullen. This allowed the Raiders to even the score at 24-24 behind Jacobs' third rushing touchdown of the game. On the first play after the kickoff, Hewitt attempted to throw against his body and threw an interception to veteran LB Chandler Jones, who returned it to the Saints' red zone. Carr immediately landed a corner shot to stud WR Davante Adams to give the Raiders their first lead, 31-24. After another punt, this time from their own endzone, the Saints managed to hold the Raiders to a field goal, to extend the lead to 10, 34-24. Attempting to start moving the ball quickly, Hewitt attempted another deep pass to Hill, who had been his number one target in the first half, but didn't see CB Nate Hobbs, who picked him off again, giving the Raiders the ball again in Saints' territory. Driving to the goal line again, Jacobs scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the game, carrying defenders on his back, but an absolute crack kick of an extra point, ala the field goal kicking clinic of GZ, K Daniel Carlson shanked the XP to leave the score at 40-24, ruining score bets in the process. On the Saints next drive, after moving the ball a bit, Hewitt attempted another deep sideline shot, this time to WR Chris Olave, but CB Rock Ya-Sin jumped in front and took it away, giving the Raiders another takeaway. Trying to further extend the lead, Carr threw a pick as SS Tyrann Mathieu jumped it and brought it back for the Saints, setting up a scoring opportunity, that Kamara cashed in on an easy run in, bringing the score up to 40-30, after a 2 pt stand on a key tackle from Jones. The Raiders extended their lead on a shot play to Waller, bringing the score up to 47-30. The final dagger, though, was sunk in when LB Jayon Brown grabbed an errant pass from Hewitt, allowing the Raiders to kneel it out, securing a 47-30 win, blowing way past the over on the total and the Saints had the longest play, at 65 yards.

After 14 star devs were handed out on the first stream, the raised standards only yielded two star devs were earned this time, both by players on the stream. VICTOR used his on LB Devin Lloyd and WITHE used his on LB Pete Werner.
Make sure you're getting in on the league streams, as we give out the opportunity to earn a Star/SuperStar Dev from the GZ Pick 9 and we also offer another SuperStar Dev opportunity for score/winner predictions. Can't win if you ain't in!

During the stream, we also interviewed our 3 guest commentators, who gave us outlooks on their teams and their thoughts on the league. When prompted about his early struggles with a young team, NATE of the MIA Dolphins talked about how he made the big trade for HB Dalvin Cook because the successful users in GZ have solid run games. But it has been difficult getting accustomed to as he never had a solid run game previously. Similarly, he made a move to acquire DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to beef up the defense but it has not turned out how he expected.

POODGE of the LA Rams was more pleased with his squad, as the potent offense has playmakers all over in one of the best route runners, WR Cooper Kupp, speedy tight end target, Jacob Harris, newly earned superstar HB Cam Akers, and speedy WR Keeper Taj Wiggins. Combined with the skillset of QB Matthew Stafford, who was not part of the original plan, the offense has been flowing. On the defensive side, weapons like DE Aaron Donald, who is capable of disrupting every play, LB Bobby Wagner, even without the broken avalanche ability, and shutdown cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the defense has been nasty and fun to use.

Finally, ANT of the IND Colts has been pleasantly surprised, as he was able to pick and use his favorite real life team, the Colts. Despite trading GZ star favorite Mo-Alie Cox, the ability to develop young speedy guys like TE Jelani Woods, safeties Nick Cross and Julian Blackmon, and rely on veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore has given ANT the ability to enjoy playing with the young talent on his favorite team. When asked on the game 3 #AskAnt prompt, he also identified that WALTZ of the TEN Titans is one of his favorite opponents due to their close games and similar playstyles, while DYLAN of the KC Chiefs is his other favorite for the high-scoring offensive shootouts that they seem to always have.

Now that we are in Week 9, the Week 8 results provide us an opportunity to look at the potential playoff picture and league leaders.

Leading the way in the AFC, the Tennessee Titans (WALTZ) hold a 7-0 record, followed closely by the Los Angeles Chargers (MILLZZ) at 6-1, New York Jets (BELLIS) at 6-2, and the Baltimore Ravens (Malibu) at 5-3. The currently wild card positions are the Denver Broncos (CHUCK) at 5-3, and then a four-way tie at 4-4 between the Jacksonville Jaguars (VICTOR, Indianapolis Colts (ANT), Cincinnati Bengals (DEKE), and Pittsburgh Steelers (OSCAR).

On the NFC side, the Seattle Seahawks (ANDY) sit at the top at 7-1, followed by the Detroit Lions (JUMP) and Philadelphia Eagles (NIC) at 6-1, and the Atlanta Falcons (Q) at 6-2. The wild card positions are held by the NEW YORK GIANTS (newly managed by BFOMBS) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (CHANDLER).

Through this point, the passing leaders are QB Matthew Stafford of the LA Rams (POODGE) with 2,411 yards, QB Russell Wilson of the ATL Falcons (Q) with 27 passing touchdowns, and QB Deshaun Watson of the CLE Browns (newly managed by ESTRADA) at 102.8 QBR.
The rushing leaders are Najee Harris of the PIT Steelers (OSCAR) with 171 carries, Kenneth Walker of the SEA Seahawks (ANDY) with 1063 yards, and Breece Hall of the NY Jets (BELLIS) with 12 rushing touchdowns.
The receiving leader is TE Kyle Pitts of the ATL Falcons (Q) with the current triple crown lead of 50 receptions, 814 receiving yards, and 10 receiving touchdowns.
The defensive leaders are LB Anthony Walker of the CLE Browns (newly managed by ESTRADA) with 42 tackles, LB Matthew Judon of the NE Patriots (JELLY) with 11 sacks, LB Lavonte David of the TB Buccaneers (CHANDLER) and LB Cory Littleton of the CAR Panthers (LYCAN) with 3 forced fumbles apiece, LB Devin White of the TB Buccaneers (CHANDLER) and LB Matthew Judon of the NE Patriots (JELLY) with 3 fumble recoveries each, S DeShon Elliott of the DET Lions (JUMP) with 11 interceptions, S Eddie Jackson of the CHI Bears (TIGER) and CB Eric Stokes of the GB Packers (SQUIB) with 7 pass deflections each, and S Jimmie Ward of the SF 49ers (FLOPPY), S Micah Hyde of the BUF Bills (CHANDY), and S Tracy Walker of the DET Lions (JUMP) with 3 defensive touchdowns apiece.

As of right now, the current award front runners are:

MVP: HB Jonathan Taylor of the IND Colts (ANT)
COTY: BELLIS of the NY Jets
OPOY: HB Jonathan Taylor of the IND Colts (ANT) / HB Kenneth Walker of the SEA Seahawks (ANDY)
DPOY: LB Troy Andersen of the NY Jets (BELLIS) / LB Nakobe Dean of the PHI Eagles (NIC)
OROY: WR Tyquan Thornton of the NE Patriots (JELLY) / HB Kenneth Walker of the SEA Seahawks (ANDY)
DROY: LB Troy Andersen of the NY Jets (BELLIS) / LB Nakobe Dean of the PHI Eagles (NIC)
Best QB: Deshaun Watson of the CLE Browns (newly managed by ESTRADA) / Aaron Rodgers of the GB Packers (SQUIB)
Best RB: Jonathan Taylor of the IND Colts (ANT) / Kenny Walker of the SEA Seahawks (ANDY)
Best WR: Ja'Marr Chase of the CIN Bengals (DEKE) / Jameson Williams of the DET Lions (JUMP)
Best OL: Corey Linsley of the LA Chargers (MILLZZ) / Tristan Wirfs of the TB Buccaneers (CHANDLER)
Best DL: Von Miller of the BUF Bills (CHANDY) / Leonard Williams of the NY Giants (newly managed by BFOMBS)
Best LB: Matthew Judon of the NE Patriots (JELLY) / Nakobe Dean of the PHI Eagles (NIC)
Best DB: Troy Pride Jr of the TEN Titans (WALTZ) / DeShon Elliott of the DET Lions (JUMP)
Best K: Brandon McManus of the DEN Broncos (CHUCK) / Jake Elliott of the PHI Eagles (NIC)

Stay tuned for the next Ground Zero Madden League Night of Streams recap, a future look at the prospects of the first Draft Class for Ground Zero Madden 23, the draft positions of teams as they prepare to take those players, and the playoff picture as we get closer to crunch time for the crowning of the first champion of GZ 23.

This is the Tornado, signing off!

It was a quiet Thursday night across the Ground Zero Madden League, as league resignings had finished, BOSSMAN and his Cowboys were still enjoying their Super Bowl championship, and teams began looking ahead to the upcoming draft when phones across the country started lighting up.

*BREAKING NEWS: Tom Brady to the Los Angeles Chargers*

Suddenly the quiet lull broke as the first of the big contracts set off fireworks as Free Agency was underway. Sure, a much larger signing hit the news outlets as former Kansas City Chiefs' cornerback Kendall Fuller hit contract gold, signing the largest non-quarterback (and possibly even position agnostic) contract ever, locking himself to the New York Jets for a 5 year, $200 million contract with 50% of the money guaranteed, but this was the biggest name to swap teams. Brady was coming to Southern California at last. With his family there and growing up north of LA in a small city called San Mateo, Brady was finally getting to return home and play on the West Coast. After 20 years of running with the New England Patriots and creating one of the most successful dynasties with coach Bill Belicheck, Brady wanted one more shot with a new team, to prove it was not just the system, but his own talents that carried the success of the team. He hinted that this might be his final season regardless, but it'll be interesting to see what unfolds in the offseason. The addition of Brady to an already top tier Chargers team meant danger for the rest of the AFC.

After a quick exit from the season one playoffs to the Oakland Raiders, which was wrought with controversy, the Chargers looked forward to making moves and moving on from Philip Rivers, who was aging and didn't meet eye to eye with the team's coach, as PHOENIX was very vocal about his disagreements with Rivers and his goal to move on from the gunslinger. Most of the team's core players were still returning, as running back Melvin Gordon, who was one of the top overall performing halfbacks in the entire league, fullback Spencer Ware, who had been resigned to a solid three year pact, and the receiving corps of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Travis Benjamin, and Huntery Henry were all set to return to the fold. With a new quarterback under center, the Chargers immediately improved their threat level to teams within their division and conference.

Similar to what he was enjoying in New England, the Chargers' defense is also stalwart, as most of the core pieces return, including one of the most dangerous secondaries the game has ever seen, rivaling the Legion of Boom during the Seahawks' recent run of success. Anchored by elite strong safety Derwin James with a pair of top tier cornerbacks in Casey Hayward and Desmond King, the early season addition of free safety Micah Hyde completed the quartet in during the first season of GZML and found the Chargers as one of the premier pass defense teams, allowing a paltry 163.2 passing yards a game, good for 4th best pass defense in the league. Aided by the gamechanging pass rush capabilities of Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, and newly discovered Uchenna Nwosu, and the midfield guarding inside linebacking duo of Jatavis Brown and Zach Brown, the Chargers' were also the number six defense in terms of points allowed, keeping opponents to 17 points per game. The only starting pieces that left were the retirement of veterean defensive tackles Brandon Mebane and Steve McLendon, though rookie Jeremy Tillery stepped up late in the season as he was finally given his shot and showed up in a big way, and defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson who could not come to an agreement on contract and found himself in free agency. While the Chargers are looking to add a few more depth pieces, a door for new players to find a starting gig has opened as the Chargers are currently weighing the option of moving Ingram or Nwosu down onto the defensive line, opposite Bosa, and bringing in a new outside linebacker to flank the other side. Hybrid defensive back Adrian Phillips also returns and figures to feature firmly in the various packages as the nickel corner.

So far, the Chargers have added pass rusher Eli Harold, speedy wideout and return special JJ Jones, and defensive tackle Akeem Spence to the fold, attempting to fill some of their ranks. They doubled down adding the quick halfback Trenton Cannon, speedy wideout Braxton Miller, and journeyman Defensive End Anthony Zettel to the mix. Their entire 10 man offensive line practice squad also seems have a chance to earn a roster spot, as there have been talks of the Chargers possibly moving young standout offensive linemen Taylor Moton, who was acquired from the Panthers previously with a 4th for a 1st and a young offensive lineman Trey Pipkins. Their rookie draft saw the addition of six solid pieces: OG Chad Meyer who finds himself stepping right into a starting role on the offensive line protecting Brady, QB Nicholas Strong who is a raw strong armed thrower who can take time learning from one of the game's best, DE Garrison Jackson who will provide some depth behind the elite defensive line the Chargers have amassed, OLB Jason Kendall who will provide the same to the pass rushing linebackers, and the pair of young corners Rod Mitchell and Thurman Herman who both have the physical traits and just need to develop the skillset to guard professional wideouts. Combined with the post-draft free agency talent that the staff acquired, the team looks to present one of the nastiest defenses in the league once more as defensive linemen Ziggy Ansah and Muhammad Wilkerson were picked up to beef up the line next to Joey Bosa, cornerback Greg Stroman provides some more veteran defensive back talent for the pair of young rookies to learn from, and a pair of rookie standouts in running back Cary Winston and wideout Mack Nash, who look to provide some influence on the games, with Nash being the collegiate returner of the year and looks primed to single-handedly own that position out the gates.

Can the Chargers carry this momentum, the new faces, and the expectations put forth by a Brady-led team through a solid draft and into the new season? With three new head coaches in the AFC West, the Chargers will venture into the unknown as they do battle to defend their AFC West division title.

The WILD CARD round is finally here!

After 17 grueling weeks of the Ground Zero Madden League's inaugural season, we have finally entered our first playoff round with some thrilling matchups, storylines, and statistic achievement!

Taking a look around the league, the divisional leaders produced outstanding records and are expected to represent their divisions in a tough playoff field consisting of two #1 seeds who both suffered singular defeats throughout the regular season. Outpacing the rest of the league, the Tennessee Titans finished 15-1, led by halfback DAMIEN WILLIAMS who blew past Ed Dickerson's 1984 record with 2,228 rushing yards, to go along with 15 rushing touchdowns, as well as an extra 251 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished at 15-1, with halfback RONALD JONES II stealing the MVP trophy behind 1,721 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns, as well as 610 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns.

The #2 seeds were similarly dominating throughout the season, as the Cincinnati Bengals took the AFC spot with a 13-3 finish behind quarterback ANDY DALTON, who finished with 28 touchdowns, along with 25 interceptions, and an average of 219.8 passing yards per game, while the Chicago Bears ended the season at 14-2, riding second year signal caller MITCHELL TRUBISKY who finished with the highest QBR in the league, at a stellar 119.0, tallying 27 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions, while averaging 199 passing yards per game, to go along with 479 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns.

The remaining division leaders in the AFC were the Los Angeles Chargers (12-3-1) and the New England Patriots (9-7). The AFC division leaders were the Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) and the Seattle Seahawks (12-4).

The craziest part of the home stretch was the wild card race, however, as three teams came down to their week 17 finishes in the AFC, while the NFC had a pair of teams that were neck and neck until the end of the line. The only secure Wild Card team entering week 17 was the Dallas Cowboys (12-4) who ended up narrowly missing out on the NFC East division title. The second spot came down to a head to head tiebreaker, as both the Arizona Cardinals (9-7) and the Atlanta Falcons (9-7) lost in week 17, with the Cardinals winning the regular season matchup, edging their way in as an unlikely underdog, after entering the season as the favorite to lead his division. Meanwhile, in the AFC, three teams entered week 17 tied and, while the Cleveland Browns (11-5) and Oakland Raiders (11-5) came away with victories, it was the loss of the Kansas City Chiefs (10-6) that finalized the playoff picture, despite finishing with a better record than one of the divisional leaders.

With the playoff picture looming, the top four teams enjoy a bye week to get some rest and ready their teams for difficult challenges coming, as there is no weak link in this playoff field and we expect some elite competition along the way. The Chargers host the Raiders, after taking both regular season matchups, leaving the Raiders with a goal of bittersweet upset, over their divisional rivals. The Patriots host the Browns, who look to topple the New England dynasty under their new head coach, proving that divisional titles mean nothing when records show a different story. The Eagles host the Cardinals, where the green birds look to defend their home turf against a red bird that has never been considered an underdog before and looks to show that they can shine when they need to. The Seahawks and their faithful twelfth man play host to the Dallas Cowboys, who look to finally seal the deal in a battle of powerful offenses and hard hitting defenses.

The season awards as given by the EA Madden engine:

NFL MVP: TB HB Ronald Jones
NFL Coach of the Year: TB Arthur Fleck

AFC OPOY: TEN HB Damien Williams
AFC DPOY: DEN LB Von Miller
AFC OROY: IND HB Josh Jacobs
AFC DROY: PIT LB Devin Bush
AFC Best QB: NE QB Tom Brady
AFC Best RB: TEN HB Damien Williams
AFC Best WR: HOU WR DeAndre Hopkins
AFC Best OL: IND OL Quenton Nelson
AFC Best DL: CLE DE Myles Garrett
AFC Best LB: DEN LB Von Miller
AFC Best DB: TEN CB Adoree Jackson
AFC Best K: OAK K Daniel Carlson

NFC OPOY: TB HB Ronald Jones II
NFC DPOY: TB LB Devin White
NFC OROY: CAR QB Tyree Jackson
NFC DROY: TB LB Devin White
NFC Best QB: SEA QB Russell Wilson
NFC Best RB: TB HB Ronald Jones II
NFC Best WR: CAR WR Curtis Samuel
NFC Best OL: PHI OL Jason Kelce
NFC Best DL: DAL DE DeMarcus Lawrence
NFC Best LB: CHI LB Khalil Mack
NFC Best DB: MIN FS Anthony Harris
NFC Best K: TB K Matt Gay

The league's statistical leaders also showed amazing talents, as multiple single season records were broken, from rushing yards, to interceptions, and sacks.

Passing Yards: ATL QB Matt Ryan (4277)
Passing Touchdowns: NE QB Tom Brady (38)
Passing Completion Percentage: CHI QB Mitchell Trubisky (74%)
Passing Yards Per Game: BUF QB Josh Allen (293.6 YPG)
Quarterback Rating: CHI QB Mitchell Trubisky (119.0)

Rushing Carries: IND HB Josh Jacobs (347)
Rushing Yards: TEN HB Damien Williams (2,228) *NEW RECORD*
Rushing Touchdowns: TB HB Ronald Jones II (23)

Receiving Receptions: ATL WR Julio Jones (95)
Receiving Yards: ATL WR Julio Jones (1800)
Receiving Touchdowns: CAR WR Curtis Samuel (19)

Defensive Total Tackles: HOU FS Justin Reid (117)
Defensive Tackles For Loss: DAL LB Leighton Vander Esch (27)
Defensive Sacks: CLE DE Myles Garrett (37.5) *NEW RECORD*
Defensive Interceptions: TEN CB Adoree Jackson (15) *NEW RECORD*
Defensive Pass Deflections: CAR CB James Bradberry IV (21)
Defensive Forced Fumbles: ATL SS Keanu Neal and SEA LB Bobby Wagner (8)
Defensive Fumbles Recovered: CAR LB Brian Burns and TEN FS Kevin Byard (4)

Special Teams Field Goals Made: CIN K Randy Bullock and ARI K Zane Gonzalez (28)
Special Teams Field Goal Percentage: JAX K Josh Lambo and OAK K Daniel Carlson (100%)
Special Teams Longest Field Goal: TB K Matt Gay (63 yards)
Special Teams Average Yards Per Punt: PIT P Matt Wile (57.4 Avg / 48.4 Net Avg)
Special Teams Punts Within 20: MIA P Matt Haack (26)
Special Teams Longest Punt: MIA P Matt Haack and NO P Thomas Morstead (83 yards)
Special Teams Kick Return Touchdowns: WAS HB Chris Thompson and TEN WR Kalif Raymond (2)
 

After a power-packed offense and defense fizzled hard in the Divisional Conference round of the playoffs, the Texans went to work putting their team together again to keep the elite players together. Sadly, however, this was not to include all of them, as superstar quarterback Deshaun Watson declined the Texans' attempts to resign him and began looking for a new team. Using the last of their wiles in hopes of getting something in return, the Texans franchised tagged him and started shopping him around, eventually ending up with an arrangement with the Minnesota Vikings, in a deal that sent the #5 overall pick in the draft and former second round selection Henry Harrington, another mobile quarterback who struggled in his rookie season, to the Houston in return for Watson. Though greatly saddened to lose the star, the Texans sent him away on good terms, with Watson even writing to the city of Houston thanking the fans for their continual support and how much he appreciated all he was a part of in that town.

The young potential star quarterback that came in the exchange, Harrington, struggled heavily in his first season but has already been looking forward to the new year, under new leadership, and with a new offensive scheme and gameplan. While not boasting the strongest arm, his feet and his intangibles show that Harrington could be a big thing, or he could be the next game manager, depending on how he develops under coach PHOENIX JAIDIN. The biggest part of the trade, however, was that draft pick that the Texans received, as they had originally traded their first (which now was the 29th overall pick) to the Carolina Panthers, along with their third rounder, to bring superstar linebacker Luke Keuchly to quarterback the Texans' defense, alongside superstar edge rusher Jadaveon Clowney, all around superstar JJ Watt, and the elite backfield combo of Justin Reid and Tyrann Mathieu. While Keuchly was off to an explosive start of the year with the Panthers, his change over to the Texans' scheme slowed him down, as he was not asked to carry the entire defense on his shoulders anymore, but now be a piece of an elite defense from front to back. 

With the fifth overall pick, to go along with their remaining 2nd rounder, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th picks, the Texans now were going to get a solid piece to fill out their team's few weaknesses and with that pick, they took the top college cornerback out of Clemson, Traylon Casey, a slot defender with size and speed that allows him to also match up with recievers on the outside. Stepping immediately into the starting role, opposite Andre Hal, Casey was expected to make his mark right from the get go. They filled out the rest of their draft by taking collegiate star offensive tackle Ben Spanos and star tight end Deontae Doyle, to groom and eventually build on, as their roster ages, fullback Ali McCarthy to step in as the immediate starting blocking back, offensive guard Scott Vandervelde for depth, and running back Ellis Griffith, who was cut after falling behind during preseason tryouts to the current running back stable the Texans possess, lead by sophomore standout Angelo Baldwin.

With new talent filling holes and many key starters ready for round two, the Texans set their sights on the trophy for this season. But very quickly, they learned that it was not going to be as easy as they had hoped. In a close game that came down to the wire, the Texans gave away the opener in Indianapolis as the Colts outlasted them 30-26, behind Jimmy Garoppolo's 324 yard, two touchdown performance, while his defense managed two interception of the Texans' new quarterback. Harrington did manage three touchdown passes and 276 yards but the two interceptions turned out to be the turning points, as one was at the Colts' goal line. Furthermore, JJ Watt went down with an injury that expected to have him sidelined for at least the opening few weeks.

The Texans' home opener now carried even more meaning, as a team that was a division winner was now starting behind the ball with an early loss and missing one of their defensive leaders. Knowing what was riding on the line, the Texans' came out firing against the Arizona Cardinals, willed on by their home crowd filling NRG Stadium. Despite missing their super interception leader from the year prior, the Cardinals did manage three interceptions on the young quarterback, but after an early fumble and a few picks of their own, the Cardinals couldn't close the gap in time, as time expired amidst their final game tying drive, with the Texans skating by to a 31-24 victory. Lead by the bruising running back, Angelo Baldwin, who ran for 133 yards and a touchdown, the Texans' still looked a bit lost in their reads, as their quarterback found himself baited a few times into some bad throws. To top it off, the Texans' lost starting left tackle Serderius Henderson and defensive tackle Whitney Mercilus in this game, adding to the loss of star standout Watt. With injuries already piling up, coach PHOENIX JAIDIN called a team meeting shortly after the game to put his team on the right track and start working to correct a few issues arising, such as injuries and turnovers. 

With a divisional matchup coming in week 3, however, the Texans finally received some good news as the doctors cleared JJ Watt to come back early. Whether he will be used so soon or not will be for us to see, but at least he's back on the practice fields, getting in his reps, and looking healthy again. Coach PHOENIX JAIDIN also had a closed office sitdown with his quarterback coach and his two young quarterbacks, Henry Harrington and Tate Anders, who learned under and backed up Deshaun Watson, to discuss future options moving forward as well as working on their individual practices to improve their reads, their accuracies, and their overall game plan to better utilize skills and make games less stressful both on the defense but also maintaining momentum that they build early, rather than letting it settle and ease off the peddle. Through two games, Harrington has compiled 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, but he has been challenged to make it to 20 touchdowns before hitting double digits in picks. With the mid season mark as the time frame for this little test, it'll be interesting to see what happens with the Texans offense and whether or not this kid can accomplish such a tall task, especially in a league where defense and interceptions reign supreme. 

Can Harrington prove he will be the future of Texans' football? Or will he end up just another roster filler? What can the Texans' do to put a halt to the onslaught of injuries through week 2? And can they recapture the form that lead them to the 13-3 finish that vaulted them into the playoffs last year?

Behind new head coach, PHOENIX JAIDIN, the Houston Texans ran away from the AFC South by rattling off 7 consecutive wins to close out the season, all while racing to a 13-3 finish. The only blemish, so far this year, were reports of locker room unhappiness, as star quarterback Deshaun Watson has turned down the Texans' attempts at a long-term contract signing. Reports have also noted that Watson's agent has started pitching his client to other various teams, with merit on his ability run, throw, and bring it home in clutch moments, though most will probably be watching to see how he handles himself in the playoffs this year.

It wasn't a perfect year for Watson, as he still threw 27 interceptions, but managed to throw 37 touchdowns and nearly 4500 yards. His agent has blamed coach PHOENIX JAIDIN for the excessive picks, citing scheme and differences between the coach and player. However, when asked about the overall uptick in interceptions across the league, the agent was mum, as there were some record numbers put up, to include the league leading 26 interceptions by Arizona linebacker Deone Bucannon, while offensive interceptions are sitting at a league high of 68 currently. Still, in the overall scheme of things, Watson's TD:INT ratio was on the right side of things, and combined with his 121 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns, put up solid numbers that his agent can definitely pitch to anyone willing to make an offer to the Texans, as there are other rumors that he is the target for their franchise tag this season, with hopes of getting a return for him.

The most pleasant surprise of the entire team, however, was the stellar sophomore season put up by star running back, Angelo Baldwin, the Texans' first round pick out of Clemson last season. After a weak rookie season, where he managed just 266 yards on 57 carries with 3 touchdowns, after serving as Lamar Miller's backup and change-of-pace, bruising back, he shined once his new coach came in and utilized his skillset, in a world where speed means everything and if you're not a speedy back, you're normally overlooked. After starting the year with just 9 rushes for 39 yards, coach PHOENIX JAIDIN came in, stating he planned to put this collegiate star to work, and immediately gave him 16 carries in week 3 and 12 in week 4, albeit yielding only 68 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But from that point on, he plowed forward and kept building momentum, though it wasn't until week 9, in a home game against the Indianapolis Colts, where he finally eclipsed the 100 yard mark, finishing with 120 yards on 21 carries, and he finished with 5 of his last 6 games over that mark, rattling off 143, 157, 119, 127, and 126 yard games, while hitting paydirt 6 times in that span, to close the year and finish with 1279 yards and 11 touchdowns. While not used in many receiving situations, especially with renowned pass catching back Chris Thompson on the roster, he did add 72 yards on 8 catches. Thompson provided solid change of pace duties finishing with 407 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground, while adding 26 catches for 271 yards and another 3 touchdowns through the air.

Aided by the revitalized ground game, that threatened teams and forced them to box up the powerful runner in Baldwin, Watson's passing corps also relished the reduced focus, as they were able to put up solid numbers, lead by Will Fuller V, who exploded under his new coach's scheme to a league leading 1636 yards along with 13 touchdowns. Part of his success, however, came from the focus of defenses to stop star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who ended the season with 964 yards and 8 touchdowns. Third wide receiver duties were split between the newly acquired Travis Benjamin, who was injured for a span of 8 games, and his replace Keke Coutee. Combined, they accounted for 590 yards and 4 touchdowns. The final piece of the passing attack was tight end Seth DeValve, who finished with 757 yards and 6 touchdowns. Behind him, Jordan Leggett and Robert Tonyan provided more big goal line targets and finished with 153 yards and 5 more touchdowns.

The true story of the Texans' season, though, was their defense, which provided rare opportunity to see a team with a large mixture of elite stars spread across the entire field. From the superstar tandem of JJ Watt (11 sacks, 1 forced fumble) and Jadaveon Clowney (23 sacks, 2 forced fumbles) bearing down from the edge, to arguably the league's best linebacker Luke Keuchly (combined 63 tackles, 9 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 10 interceptions, and a pair of defensive touchdowns), who was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers, to the prized backfield of safties Justin Reid (45 tackles, 5 interceptions) and Tyrann Mathieu (59 tackles, 4 interceptions), the Texans' defense provided a challenge to all teams to gameplan against them. In close matches, they normally held their own, though they did end up giving away a lot of yardage in garbage time in some of their games. The defense was rounded out by defensive linemen Whitney Mercilus, DJ Reader, Benardrick McKinney, Zach Cunningham, and the standard nickel cornerback rotation of Andre Hal, Kayvon Webster, and Aaron Colvin.

It's exciting to think this team was fielded and put together, and even more so to know that we have more football coming where we can enjoy watching this talented group perform together. Even at 13-3, the Texans ended up with the 3rd seed in the AFC, behind the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins, so they have to get through the Wildcard round as well. The locker room and contract drama can wait, though we can only hope it doesn't affect this playoff push that the Texans have worked so hard for.

After a short, but trying run leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coach PhoenixJaidin was allowed to leave on mutual grounds due to personal matters that were going to take him away from the game. Due to the extended absence, new leadership was found and signed long term to lead the Buccaneers into the foreseeable future, while coach Phoenix was waylaid. However, due to positive tidings and behind-the-scene working by the league's management office, he was brought in to replace Houston's former coach, who had a spout with management on how the league should run, as well as how the Texans should be run, that lead to his stepping down, leaving the Texans' without a coach.

A prominent coach that focused on key defensive stops and a balanced but aggressive offensive strategy, coach Phoenix was on the up, leading Tampa Bay to a 5-2 run, after the team dropped 2 games before he was signed, before he was forced to take the extended leave of absence. His coaching style and schemes should mesh nicely with the elite defensive pieces present on the Texans, while he should also be able to take advantage of the offensive weapons and chemistry on the flip side of the ball.

The biggest shift that Houston has seen in the day since the new coach signing was a radical shift in the offense and defense. The first change adjusted the defense from an aggressive 3-4 scheme that Houston had been known for to a more balanced 4-3/46 combo scheme. The shift brings a nasty defensive front presence, putting superstar edge rushing tandem JJ Watt and Jadaveon Clowney to pressure the tackles, while leaving veteran Whitney Mercilus and young up and coming defensive tackle DJ Reader to cover the inside. A couple key linebacker signings and movement pushed the two inside linebackers, Benardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham, to the outside roles while newly signed physical monster Foyesade Oluokun quarterbacks the middle. The secondary is relatively unchanged, though the normal nickel package group of corners Andre Hal, Aaron Colvin, and Kayvon Webster will have to focus more heavily on a balanced man and zone coverage mix, while safeties Justin Reid and Tyrann Mathieu will be responsible for all overhead coverage. Can this new scheme maintain the elite defense that the Texans have been known for under former coach Bill O'Brien?

On the offensive side of the ball, not a lot of changes were made, though Clemson alumni Jordan Leggett was picked up to fill the second Tight End role behind Seth DeValve. For the most part, the offense is unchanged, though superstar turnover machine Nathan Peterman was given his walking papers as the first act of the new coach, while 2019 first round draft choice, Angelo Baldwin out of Clemson, finds himself in the lead role for carries, being a punishing power back. Florida State alum and veteran Chris Thompson was relegated to receiving back roles and change of pace, but after a sit down with his new coach, who expressed both an admiration for the player's talents and history but wanted to refocus the team in a new direction, came to an understanding and agreement that should benefit Thompson and put him back in his opportune place to make huge runs that helped him breakout a few years back. Superstar wideout DeAndre Hopkins will continue to be the leading target for star quarterback Deshaun Watson, but the speedy pair of Will Fuller and Travis Benjamin will rotate outside and slot duties to continually challenge the leagues' defenses. The scheme adjustment was a large one, though, adjusting from the vertical zone run offense to a more traditional vertical power run, that will more heavily utilize a fullback as both a blocker, and check down safety net.

Is this the answer for the Houston Texans? A mildly successful coach with a solid track record, but one who has been unproven for the last few years? Can he mold this team and finally get them to hoist the great trophy at the end of the season? Only time will tell...

Things of Note:

The following stats are connected to the old owner (2 games)

Deshaun Watson: 31/49 for 530 yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions; 4 rushes for 40 yards
Chris Thompson: 27 rushes for 181 yards and a touchdown
Angelo Baldwin: 9 rushes for 39 yards
Seth DeValve: 7 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown
Will Fuller: 6 catches for 89 yards
Chris Thompson: 6 catches for 46 yards
DeAndre Hopkins: 5 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown
Travis Benjamin: 5 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown (odd...)
Marshall Romeus: 1 catch for 6 yards

Zach Cunningham, JJ Watt, Jadaveon Clowney: each have 1 sack
Zach Cunningham has 3 interceptions, Dylan Cole has 1

Cairo Santos is 4/4 on FG and 4/4 on XP.
Bryan Anger has 1 punt for 47 yards.

After a turbulent start to the season, the Steelers were looking like they finally were getting into a rhythm, until big Ben Roethlisberger got in his own way, throwing five intereceptions against the New York Jets. He nearly led a comeback though, after trailing 20-3 going into halftime, the game ended at 23-20, for the third loss of the season, and the first of their new head coach's career. Luckily, the bye week came and allowed the team to get their heads on straight, adjust a few small factors, and focus on employing their new coach's gameplans.

How did we get here? The Steelers started the season 1-2, before bringing in new head coach, Phoenix, who led his team to a big division win over the Bengals, 41-26, in his first game. And after the loss to the Jets and the bye week, the Steelers find themselves a game under .500 but still in the hunt, as they're only half a game behind the first place Browns, who are 3-3, in the AFC North, with the Bengals and Ravens sitting at 2-4 and just a game out of first.

Now, five games into the season, Big Ben sits at a 10-7 touchdown to interception ratio, with just over 1600 yards and a 100.7 quarterback rating. On pace for 32 touchdowns, 22 interceptions, and about 5150 yards, Roethlisberger must figure out how to trend down the interceptions. Prior to that last blowup game, he was on pace for a 32 touchdown and 8 interception season, so perhaps we will see a better decision making quarterback in the pocket, than the outlier this season.

His backfield mate, Le'Veon Bell, is averaging 118 yards from scrimmage per game, but just 71 of them on the ground, which leads us to believe that the Steelers used some of their bye week to focus on getting the ball into the hands of their workhorse. Their new coach definitely was trying to forcefeed Bell, but the 6 turnovers in their last game took that option away as they tried to catch up. He did manage 3 touchdowns in coach Phoenix's first game against the Bengals, giving him 4 on the year, to go with his 2 receiving scores. Bell is on pace for just 1140 yards of rushing and 13 rushing touchdowns, along with 750 yards receiving and 7 receiving touchdowns. While not an outstanding rushing year so far, his overall production is solid, but in an interview last week, he promised a steady increase in his personal performance, to solidify the big contract he signed before the new coach stepped in. The depth behind Bell have also provided a pair of touchdowns, as third year back James Conner has a touchdown and Alabama rookie Ellis Davidson has one as well.

Through the air, Big Ben has an excellent stable of receivers to employ, though there have been reports of complaints in camp that the veteran signal-caller is spreading the ball around a lot more, to the chagrin of superstar wideout Antonio Brown, but the joy of everyone else. Perhaps a change is on the forefront? The new coach was quoted saying he wanted Ben to focus on making good passes and finding the open man. Be ready, sports fans, we might be done with the days where Ben would simply throw it up and hope Brown came down with it. Leading the pack, all the same, Brown has 22 catches for 381 yards and a touchdown. He's averaging just over 76 yards a game and is on page for over 1200 yards and a few scores. Second year slot receiver James Washington, the speedy second outside receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and tight end Vance McDonald are all sitting between 230 and 330 yards with a pair of touchdowns each, tied with Bell for the receiving touchdown lead. Washington and McDonald are averaging over 60 yards a game with 4 receptions per game, while JuJu is sitting on 17 receptions for 231 yards. The final Big Ben touchdown? Fullback Roosevelt Nix found paydirt on his only reception of the year. While definitely abnormal to see AB turning in such low numbers, it's promising overall as teams must now gameplan to stop all facets of the Steelers high powered attack, rather than be able to sit on the star and mostly ignore everyone else.

Defensively, the Steelers are near the bottom in points and yards allowed, though they averaged 356 yards a game (255 pass/101 rush) before Coach Phoenix took over, and 282 yards a game since (202 pass/80 rush). How his numbers compare to the team at the start will be interesting to keep an eye on as the season progresses. Leading the way with 28 tackles (22 solo) is free safety Terrell Edmunds, a phyiscal beast out of Virginia Tech. Defensive end Casey Heyward leads the run stopping group with 7 tackles for a loss (to go along with 3 sacks and a forced fumble) while Nebraska BIG RED rookie outside linebacker Connor French leads the team with 4 sacks, as well as 2 tackles for a loss. His counterpart outside linebacker, TJ Watt, also has 3 sacks to go with 5 tackles for a loss. After being signed prior to the Bengals game, Florida State linebacker Matthew Thomas awarded Coach Phoenix's faith in him with an interception in his first game with the team. The cornerback tandem of Artie Burns, Joe Haden, and rookie slot corner Telvin Burgess each have a pick as well.

So what happens now? The Steelers looked promising under their new coach in his first game, but pretty much beat themselves in the next. So far they are 1-3 in non-division games and 1-0 in divisional matchups. But they are in the hunt, so keep an eye on them as we get heading into a home duel with the New England Patriots, led by Alabama rookie quarterback Duncan Barry and his receiving combo of superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski and rookie wideout Quinterrius Faulk out of Bowling Green.

Let's leave this with 3 questions.

1) Which Ben Roethlisberger are we going to see moving ahead? The 8TD/2INT Roethlisberger that started the season or the 2TD/5INT burnout Ben that will be looking for a new home if that continues?
2) Can Le'Veon Bell keep his word and improve his production this season? Already on pace for 1800 yards from scrimmage and 20 total touchdowns, he seems to think he will be even better than that. Will it be so?
3) Does the offense still run through Antonio Brown? Or is he new an accessory to an offense that can fire on all cylinders even without utilizing their elite playmaker to his fullest potential?

Tune in for the Patriots@Steelers showdown. Daddyleagues has the line at Steelers -6 currently. Place your bets!

Once again, history repeats itself, as for the 3rd season in a row, Blake Bortles started with a whimper. Opening day at home against divisional rival and former divisional champion, the Indianapolis Colts, Bortles put together a 8/17 for 107 yards and two interception performance that ended with the Colts winning 16-7. With Bortles struggling to move the ball, standout rookie running back, the underrated Jimmy Gipson out of the Air Force managed just 21 yards on 8 carries, though offseason signee Demonte Powe took his only carry yard, scoring from 41 yards out. The saving grace was the defensive pass rush, as Telvin Smith and John Simon managed a sack apiece, but were just supporting Dante Fowler Jr, who turned in a monstrous 4 sack, 3 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery performance, which landed him the Week 1 Defensive Player of the Week honors. Safety Keron Turk grabbed the only interception for the team, but even that couldn't make up for Bortles' mistakes, as he continually missed his mark and found the wrong team catching his throws.

Week 2 was significantly better, though they still ended up with the loss, falling 23-20. The Philadelphia Eagles came into Jacksonville with a plan, and they exploited it as Carson Wentz and Chase Daniels combined to complete 27 passes on 38 attempts, with about 23 of them being short out routes or drags across the middle. Bortles kept his performance clean this time, throwing for 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns, finding Allen Hurns and Julius Thomas for scores. Gipson finished with 78 yards rushing and 11 yards receiving, but still struggled to get into the end zone. Cornerback Roshawn Avant finished with the only Jaguars interception of the game.

Week 3, on the other hand, brought a whole different story, as the Jaguars and Miami Dolphins engaged in a subway shootout in Florida. Bortles finished with 347 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a pair of interceptions, while Ryan Tannehill threw for 302 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions, as the Jaguars managed to hold off the Dolphins for their first win, 33-28. Jimmy Gipson finally crossed the white line, ending with both a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown, as he turned in an 88 combined yards day with his two scores. Bortles also found his primary wide outs Allen Robinson and Hurns, as they both scored. Robinson finished with 146 yards, including his 70 yard touchdown bomb. While Miami was able to pass for a lot of yards and put up a few scores, including a pair of touchdowns to Devante Parker, the defense also managed to force turnovers as safety Turk grabbed 2 more interceptions, while safety Diamond Bragg, linebacker Myles Jack, and the NFL's top cornerback Jalen Ramsey all came away with a pick a piece.

Week 4 brought divisional rivals, the Tennessee Titans, into the Jaguars' home and, thankfully for the fans of the franchise, returned to form that, under their coach, looked like the Jaguars that have made back to back pushes into the playoffs, as they finished on top, 29-7. Bortles finished with 268 yards, a touchdown to Julius Thomas, and an interception. Gipson finally cracked triple digits, as he ended with 135 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 19 carries. Once more, the defense is what made the difference, as they shook off the rust and played up to the level their coach had been praising and representing in front of the media outlets. Smith, Fowler, and Simon each grabbed a sack while their secondary put a hurting on Marcus Mariota, who ended with 145 yards, a touchdown to Kendall Wright, and 5 interceptions. Cornerback Avant grabbed 2 more interceptions, while Ramsey, Bragg, and Turk each grabbed one.

And so the Jaguars sit at 2-2 through the first quarter of the season, allowing to provide some base projections for the team. Quarterback Blake Bortles has finished with solid statistics under Coach Klepper, finishing with 35 touchdowns and 19 interceptions with 4401 yards in year one and 37 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, and 4447 yards in year two. Though starting this year as slowly as he has, he sits at 6 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and 881 yards. He's projected to perform very substandardly and end along 24 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, and just over 3500 yards. Coach Klepper is hoping to improve on those projections, hoping Bortles can come alive and break the 40 touchdown plateau while remaining under 20 interceptions for his 3 season running. Running back Jimmy Gipson is hovering at 310 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 48 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown, on 73 combined touches. He's looking at a full workload, expecting to finish with over 1200 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, nearly 200 receiving yards, and 4 receiving touchdowns, on his rookie season. Not quite the same level of overuse seen on other teams with their players, but a solid, functional rookie season to further enhance the already dangerous Jaguars offense. Surprisingly, with his yardages down through the first bit of the season, Bortles' receiving corps is only projecting a single 1000 yard receiver this year and no double digit touchdown weapons, as Allen Robinson is expected to lear the team with just over 100 yards and 4 receiving touchdowns, while Julius Thomas and Allen Hurns both sit around 600 yards and 8 touchdowns through their seasonal projections. Hometown rookie and hero of Jacksonville University, DeMarcus Huntington, took a nasty hit that resulted in a 6 week injury notation due to an Abdominal Tear. Through just two games, he had 4 catches for 70 yards.

Defensively, however, the team shines in projections. Cornerback Roshawn Avant is looking at a 12 interception season, while Jalen Ramsey and safety Diamond Bragg are both in line for 8 interception seasons. Linebacker Myles Jack is also projected to have 4 picks, but it's safety Keron Turk who is expected to lead with a season record threatening 16 interceptions. Dante Fowler is looking at a full season on his hands, as he is projected to bring 20 sacks and 16 forced fumbles to the table, while Telvin Smith and John Simon should each expect 8 sacks. Finally, outside linebacker Churphy Richmond, defensive tackle Jacorie Ballard, and defensive lineman Malik Jackson are all looking at finishing with 4 sacks apiece.

While very rough and rigid projections are sitting after just 4 games, it brings to light just how important defense can be, especially when balanced by a versatile offense. The question now is whether the Jaguars can remain in top shape and threaten to retake the AFC South from the defending divisional champion Indianapolis Colts, or if they'll fall back. The head coach definitely seems to have a lot more on his plate this season, as personal issues have proven distracting, but he has already promised his fans that, whether this is his final season or not, he'll be committed to giving them his best effort game in and game out.

After falling short in another AFC Wild Card showdown, this time against their divisional rivals, the Indianapolis Colts, in a game where they lead by 3 touchdowns and then fell apart in the final stretch, Jacksonville's management went on a weekend retreat, where they discussed options, plans, changes, and instilled a new brand of chemistry. Despite the elite status of their defense last season, in the final stretch of games, the team allowed more yards and points by nearly double it's season averages for the first three quarters of the season, including taking 3 big losses in the final 4 games of the season before the playoff bomb. Still, despite two less than stellar season finishes, the front office believes in coach Klepper, nicknamed the Raging Asian for his demeanor on the field. And so the team went to work putting together a new look for the coming season.

They started with resigning a veteran that they were unable to come to terms with during the regular season in MLB Brandon Watts. He brings both veteran knowledge of the team's defensive gameplan as well as solid value at his positions for a coach who knows how he operates and what he expects of him. Then, they added a whole new look by signing a veteran blocking fullback in Lee Smith, a versatile running back in Demonte Powe and a pure speed back in Keith Marshall. They also brought in veteran tight end AC Leonard to give him a chance to show what he is capable of, as he is similar to Will Tye and provides a good backup punch, especially with Julius Thomas aging. Finally, they brought in young Hunter Kitchen, a solid offensive lineman who just needs a bit more teaching in the running scheme but should prove to be a valuable asset along a line that is starting to show its age. Defensively, they brought in linebacker Eric Pinkins, a former cornerback who has since transitioned into the linebacker role as a solid coverage defender, capable of matching up with the pesky tight ends of the evolving game of professional football. They also signed diamond in the rough defensive lineman Rayquez Poyer, a former Seminole who is represents a solid stopping force along the defensive line.

The draft brought another new dimension to the team, as Jacksonville adjusted it's gameplan from where it had drafted the last few seasons. In the first round, the team took talented slot receiver DeMarcus Huntington out of Tennessee, a very quick learner who thinks fast, moves quicker, and outran some of the best college defenders during his time at school. With their second round pick, they took Jimmy Gipson, a blazing running back out of Louisiana Tech that helped set university records in rushing yards, combined yards, rushing touchdowns, and combined touchdowns. An entirely different look to an offense that was focusing on the slower, but more forceful running of TJ Yeldon, his speed should create an entirely new threat for quarterback Blake Bortles to work with. With their remaining picks, they took cornerback Griffin Cherlius out of Boise St, pass rusher CJ Berrian out of Rice, run stopper Xavius Tuitt out of Texas Tech, mobile quarterback Michael Anderson out of Kansas, center Wesley Covington out of Washington, and blocking full back Johnathan Schulz out of Florida St, to fill out their ranks.

Can this new Jaguars team, with a focus on speed on the offensive side, matchup and finally get past the curse of the Wild Card, a blessed curse to some of Jacksonville's fans, but frustrating to the front office that has put together a solid roster all the way around?

Following the loss to the Colts, the Jaguars knew they were in dire straits, falling behind the division leader in both overall record as well as divisional record, and needed to play the best football they could to stay in the playoff hunt. They followed with three wins, including a big one against AFC playoff frontrunner, the Pittsburgh Steelers, though their head coach was sick for the game and left his assistant in charge, leading to a rout. But that was where the trouble began, going 1-3 in their final four games, barely holding onto their playoff spot as both the Raiders and the Chiefs made a push to take them out and load the playoffs with 3 AFC West teams.

Aside from the win vs the Ravens, signalcaller Blake Bortles more than doubled his interception total in the final 3 losses, throwing for 778 yards and just 5 touchdowns to his 9 interceptions, including 3 pick sixes. This brought his final season statline to 37 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, 4447 passing yards, and a 116.9 quarterback rating. Out of those 9 interceptions, however, 4 were credited to Allen Robinson, the star top receiver on the Jaguars squad, who suddenly started playing with no motivation and no ball skills, despite how renowned he is at securing the ball in traffic. Two jump balls to a mediocre rookie cornerback on the Cardinals named Julius Adkins, a route where he stopped running and allowed Deone Buchanan to take it away uncontested, and a pick six to Joe Haden where he ran away from the ball like it was a disease, definitely played a role in not only 2 of the 3 losses but also a lot of momentum moving forward. Despite the difficulties, though, the receivers did finish with strong season statistics, with Robinson leading the way, nabbing 54 catches for 1148 yards and 12 touchdowns. His opposite, Allen Hurns, finished with 44 catches for 653 yards and 10 touchdowns, while slot receiver Marqise Lee hauled in 47 catches for 833 yards and 8 touchdowns. Tight end Julius Thomas had the most receptions with 56 for 888 yards and a touchdown, while Will Tye pulled in 22 passes for 398 yards and 3 touchdowns. Running back TJ Yeldon, who started the season on a roll, cooled by the end, but finished with a respectable 1161 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns, as well as 16 receptions for 184 yards. They hope to get back on track as they move into the playoffs, now needing to win 4 games to claim the ultimate prize.

Luckily for them, their defense has been holding strong and keeping them in games. Lead by shutdown corner Jalen Ramsey, former defensive rookie of the year, they managed to keep teams to just 201.6 passing yards, the 2nd best in the league against the pass. Ramsey finished the season with 40 tackles and 6 interceptions. Rookie cornerback Roshawn Avant also finished with 6 interceptions, as did rookie strong safety Diamond Bragg and inside linebacker Christian Jones, who started more than half the season with Myles Jack being injured. Rookie free safeties Paul Ottis and Keron Turk both finished with 4 interceptions apiece. Outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr and defensive end John Simon each finished with 10 sacks, while Telvin Smith finished with 7, despite missing the last quarter of the season. The defense will have to maintain and keep pressing forward, hoping the offense can balance out their efforts in the playoffs.

When asked about what happened, Coack K only said, "we haven't been playing with the same heart we started the year with. Teams are playing tougher now, while our guys seem to be lacking in motivation. Perhaps advancing past where we got knocked out last year will motivate our boys to play their best here out. I hope to be lifting the Lombardi at the end, but it'll take some real gameplanning and better execution to make it happen."

Despite a stellar, 117 yard, 2 touchdown performance against the rival Colts and vaunted cornerback Vontae Davis, the Jaguars couldn't stop the bleeding as Colts' rookie running back Marcell Hebert out of Nebraska, thrashed their stout run defense for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Colts downed the Jaguars in the final division game for the cats, 24-17. A once solid lead within the division just fell apart, as the Jaguars find themselves in dire straits, as the loss to the Titans when coach was missing has caught back up to them. Now sitting at 6-3 with a 4-2 divisional record, they trail the 7-3 Colts who are sitting 4-1 within the division.

Luckily, their season is still a solid one despite some hiccups, but now they prepare for a tough stretch as after facing the 4-5 Bengals, they sandwich the 0-9 Rams with matchups against AFC North leading Pittsburgh (9-0) and NFC West leading Arizona (9-1). They will truly need to up the ante as this could be the point to decide whether the Jaguars will have a chance to recover from their Wild Card loss to the Cleveland Browns last year, or miss the playoffs and find themselves well short of their expectations.

Blake Bortles has put together a solid season, so far, completing 67.4% of his passes for 2389 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just 6 interceptions. A field general with a cannon, Bortles' is looking forward to another solid season and is projected to end with around 34 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions.

Third year back, TJ Yeldon has rushed for 745 yards with 7 rushing touchdowns on the season so far, sporting a solid 4.4 yards per carry average. He has also added another 159 yards receiving with a touchdown, as he continues to be a solid asset for this power packed offense.

The receiving corps has continued to shine, as superstar Allen Robinson, despite a slow start on the season, leads his team with 621 yards and 6 touchdowns catches. Tight end Julius Thomas seconds him with 501 yards and a touchdown, but has also accounted for the most drops, as he has 3 so far. Slot receiver Marqise Lee, who signed a new contract locking his future in Jacksonville, comes in at third with 379 yards, while Allen Hurns has contributed for 298 yards opposite of Robinson. Both Lee and Hurns have 4 touchdowns apiece. Tight end Will Tye and wideout Rashad Greene have the other 2 touchdown receptions for the team, filling out the offensive lineup.

Defensively, the team has once again come together to create a dynamic threat, as many different members are involved in various aspects. The superstar cornerback Jalen Ramsey leads the team with 3 interceptions. His opposite starting corner is young rookie Roshawn Avant, who has 2 interceptions already, including a pick six from his first NFL game, while Prince Amukamara has transitioned to slot defender well with 2 interceptions along with a sack. The rookie backdrop of Paul Ottis and Diamond Bragg in the secondary have each contributed 2 interceptions, while third safety Keron Turk has 1 and veteran Tashaun Gipson has 1. Finally, inside linebackers Christian Jones and Myles Jack have each added 2 interceptions apiece. The pressure generated from the defensive front, however, is what opens the field up for the defensive backs as outside linebackers Telvin Smith and Dante Fowler Jr have contributed 6 and 7 sacks respectively, while new acquisition John Simon has also brought 6 sacks. Rookie nose tackle Jacorie Ballard has a sack, as does outside linebacker Churphy Richmond, while aging veteran Paul Posluszny has added 3 from the middle of the field.

Oddly enough, just passing the trade deadline, the team has announced that contract talks have stalled with dime corner Aaron Colvin, who has since been demoted to quarter cornerback. Meanwhile, since signing his extension, Lee has proven to be a valuable slot cornerback who is both shifty and tall, create a unique threat from that position. Allen Robinson resigned early and has since proven his value as he is the unquestioned leader in the offense, demanding presence, as he punishes defenders if left alone, or opens up for his fellow offensive members when doubled up on.

After a solid offseason and winning season that lead to a quick exit in the Wild Card round, the Jacksonville Jaguars looked poised to strike at the AFC South division title again. But a few hiccups at the beginning of this season has lead to a challenging start in the race for the AFC South.

An early loss to the newly rebuilt San Francisco 49ers left Jacksonville fans stunned, as the former 0-16 team upset the big spread favored home Jaguars, 24-20. The #1 overall pick in the draft, quarterback Kasey Johnston finished with 249 yards, a touchdown to Torrey Smith, and an interception nabbed by former AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year, Jalen Ramsey. But it was Carlos Hyde, who plundered for only 54 yards on 18 carries, who found paydirt twice to lead the Niners over the Jaguars. Blake Bortles finished with 301 yards, a pair of touchdowns to two of his wideouts, Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee, and an interception that was taken by safety Eric Reid, effectively ending the game and shutting down the Jaguars chance at a comeback. TJ Yeldon and Chris Ivory split the carries, as Yeldon finished with 75 yards on 17 carries, while Ivory ended with 52 yards on 14 carries.

Reeling from the upset, the Jaguars struggled in their first divisional matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, but managed to pull out the win, 27-21. Bortles completed 16 passes for just 175 yards, throwing a touchdown to Hurns but also getting picked off by linebacker Gerald Hodges Jr on a beautiful deflection play by the Colts defensive line. Yeldon managed just 27 yards on 11 carries, but did score a touchdown, but it was the defense that won the day, as Andrew Luck managed 315 yards and a pair of touchdowns to speedy wideout Phillip Dorsett, but also got picked off 3 times, including 2 to Myles Jack and a pick six to rookie corner Roshawn Avant, the Jaguars' second round draft pick.

After another poor showing, Coach Phoenix came down on his team hard in the review room, and they spent the entire week figuring out what needed to change. And in their second divisional match of the season, it proved fruitful as the team looked like the Jaguars of last season, beating the Houston Texans 39-14. Bortles finished with 294 yards and three touchdowns, finding Hurns, Rashad Greene, and Julius Thomas for scores, while star wideout Allen Robinson lead the team with 85 yards on 4 catches. Balancing the pass game was Yeldon, who recorded his first 100 yard game of the season, as he ended with 124 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Meanwhile the defense hounded rookie signalcaller Trett Lowry of the Texans, as he finished with only 135 yards and 2 touchdowns (though the system somehow recorded a 3rd for him on a close call play to Braxton Miller that was overturned), but he also got picked off 4 times, as linebacker Christian Jones and Prince Amukamara each grabbed one and Ramsey grabbed two.

With all the momentum, the Jaguars looked ahead to their third divisional round as they were to face off with the Tennessee Titans, but just before game time, both coaches went down with food poisoning after sharing a meal together with their families. The result was an ugly battle between the two teams' assistant coaches that ended with a Titans victory, 24-21. Neither team ran particularly well, as Yeldon finished with 77 yards on 28 carries, but did score, while new veteran fullback Anthony Fasano plunged in on a four yard run to score as well. Bortles was picked off by Jason McCourty but did find his slot receiver Marqise Lee for a touchdown, along with 138 yards throughout the game. Marcus Mariota was less than stellar, but managed to lead his team to victory in the end, as he threw a touchdown to Tajae Sharp while also running a touchdown in himself. He was picked off, however, as veteran safety, Tashaun Gipson, who has found himself amidst trade block rumors, pulled it down, as did rookie safety Diamond Bragg.

After the disastrous food poisoning incident, Coach Klepper was able to return for the game against the home defending Seahawks, but it wasn't his usual game, as he was still struggling with exhaustion and hangover-like effects. Double that with the early game time, and he found himself struggling to focus and lead his team, and gave Bortles a poor play, that led to his pick for the day, which was grabbed by veteran linebacker KJ Wright. Yeldon, however, saved the day as he toted the ball 16 times for 110 yards and a pair of scores, and led his team to victory over the Seahawks, 16-14. Julius Thomas was the big name in the game as he grabbed 7 catches for 140 yards, including a huge wheel route that set up the Jaguars for their first score in the 3rd quarter. In a crazy sequence of events, Russell Wilson managed to lead his team on a huge final drive that culminated in his one touchdown, a long throw into the end zone where Jermaine Kearse outjumped Ramsey and came down with the score. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, as early game kicking issues on both sides settled the score, with the Jaguars kicker, Jason Myers, missing an extra point to leave the game open, but the Seahawks kicker Randy Bullock missed a go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter.

Trying to get over the hump, as his decorated team that was projected to be sitting atop a pretty 4-1 record with a possible 5-0 start, were upset by the newly revigorated 49ers and a case of missing-coach-itis in a crucial divisional matchup with last year's AFC South runner ups, the Titans, the Jaguars now look forward to finishing strong, with their coach back to full health. But it all starts with week 6, as they turn around and immediately get their healthy rematch with the Titans. After that, they run into Foxborough and do battle with the New England Patriots, before enjoying a bye week. Then, weeks 9 and 10 finish their divisional duels as they host the Houston Texans before traveling to Indianapolis to bring the battle to the Colts' front door.

Expected to really turn it up and make the jump into the elite discussion, Bortles has started slow once more, finishing 5 games with just 7 touchdowns to 4 interceptions and a paltry 1245 passing yards. At the rate he is on, he is projecting to throw just 22 touchdowns, to 13 interceptions, and just under 4000 passing yards. To repeat the success he has enjoyed the last few seasons, he will need to not only step up his game, but find a way to get his favorite star wideout involved in the dangerous Jaguars passing attack, as Allen Robinson has yet to score a touchdown, and is averaging a measley 52 yards a game.

TJ Yeldon is showing the same drive he had last season that produced solid, stellar results, as he is projected to finish the year with over 1300 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. Meanwhile, with so few touchdowns going around, it's hard to say who will benefit the most, but for now, Allen Hurns leads the way with 3 touchdowns, Marqise Lee has a pair of scores, and Rashad Greene and Julius Thomas have each found paydirt once.

Defensively, this was the unit that was supposed to surpass the success the Jaguars had last year, both stuffing the run and guarding the air. Paul Posluszny, John Simon, and Telvin Smith each have 2.5 sacks while Dante Fowler Jr has 2 himself. Rookie frontman Jacorie Ballard has just 1 sack, but also recovered a fumble for a touchdown. Jalen Ramsey leads the defense with 3 interceptions, and Myles Jack has taken 2 away. Veterans Christian Jones, Tashaun Gipson, and Prince Amukamara have each nabbed an interception, but the shining spots are rookie Diamond Bragg who has one interception, and rookie Roshawn Avant, who also has one interception, but scored with his pick six on his very first recording interception of his young career.

Moving forward, this team now has a lot to prove and needs to do so quickly in order to stay on top of their division. With a quick stretch of games that will settle the divisional records, Jacksonville hopes to emerge out of week 10 with a firm grip on the divisional tie breakers and a challenging records to support their claim to the divisional title. We'll be back with more after week 10!

After locking the AFC South down with an 11-5 record, the Jaguars found themselves quickly eliminated from the playoffs after a disastrous loss to the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Round.

Retaining all of their key components during the offseason, they cut their ties with several players who were no longer part of the vision of the Jaguars future, such as TE Marcedes Lewis and QB Chad Henne. Then, they proceeded to add pieces to fill out some gaps and holes, with the additions of speedy TE Will Tye, big blocking FB Anthony Fasano, versatile RE John Simon, and versatile hybrid LB Christian Jones.

And finally, moving into the draft, the Jaguars continued building their defense up, by taking superstar DT Jacorie Ballard out of Indiana University with their first round pick and stud CB Roshawn Avant out of Columbia with their second round pick. Replacing depth with the remaining picks, they took pass rushing OLB Churphy Richmond out of the University of Louisiana-Monroe, CB DeMikael Ricks out of Arkansas St, and QB Nash Doering out of Colorado St. They also added a pair of hard hitting safeties in FS Paul Otis out of Iowa and SS Diamond Bragg out of Michigan St. They also signed undrafted HB Cecil Hardwick out of Nebraska, to give more depth in the running back field and provide a future pass-catching option for the pass-happy Blake Bortles. Finally, they signed two undrafted rookies to flush out their secondary, with the additions of coverage FS Keron Turk out of Grand Valley St and big, balanced SS Stephen Milloy out of Richmond.

With the offseason acquisitions and draft selections, the Jaguars front office managed to maintain their dangerous offense, while strengthening and shuffling pieces of their defense, swapping hybrid linebackers Telvin Smith and Myles Jack.

Looking forward to the 2017 season, the Jaguars know they need to get off to a quick start, as all of their division matches get played in the first 10 weeks of the season. Then they close the season with a repeat of last year's Wild Card showdown with the Cleveland Browns.

Week 1: vs SF 49ers
Week 2: vs IND Colts
Week 3: at HOU Texans
Week 4: vs TEN Titans
Week 5: at SEA Seahawks
Week 6: at TEN Titans
Week 7: at NE Patriots
Week 8: BYE Week
Week 9: HOU Texans
Week 10: at IND Colts
Week 11: vs CIN Bengals
Week 12: vs PIT Steelers
Week 13: at LA Rams
Week 14: vs ARI Cardinals
Week 15: at BAL Ravens
Week 16: vs OAK Raiders
Week 17: at CLE Browns

The questions of the season? Can Blake Bortles repeat his success from last season, or will he slump and regress? Can TJ Yeldon continue to carry the load of the offense to force defenses to respect the run and open up the pass game for a wide receiver corps that comprises of Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, and Marqise Lee? And can the defense continue the dominance that lead them to the playoffs last season, lead by reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, Jalen Ramsey? The additions of the two future building block rookies at both the front and the secondary definitely bode well for a defense that was top 10 previously. Only time will tell, as the season kicks off soon!

During an interview, coach Tim "D'Ragin Asian" Klepper was quoted saying, "We will return to the playoffs this season. The goal now is to move past the Wild Card Round and find ourselves in the big game."

After an average start where they went 2-2, the Jaguars knew they had to make changes. Despite a decent start in his first two games, coaching, playcalling, and 2 losses later, the team was struggling to find what would work. Quarterback Blake Bortles was sitting at 7 touchdowns with 7 interceptions and was averaging around 237.5 yards per game. Wideout Allen Robinson was the receiver of 3 of those touchdowns and accounted for 284 yards, while Allen Hurns had 303 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Running back TJ Yeldon balanced out the passing game with nearly 100 yards a game and two touchdowns. Knowing they needed a change, they began searching for the answer.

Going into their bye week, the Jaguars got their answer when they fired Gus Bradley and brought in the new coach PhoenixJaidin, who was nicknamed "D'Ragin Asian". Untrained, but with a background in building teams and refocusing strengths, he turned the Jaguars' balanced offense and 4-3 defense into an entirely different machine. Moving personnel around to accomodate his style, the Jaguars came out of the bye week with an entirely new look behind their 3-4 defense and vertical offense. And they came out firing on all cylinders. Putting together three different 3-game win streaks and taking losses to just the Chiefs, Broncos, and Vikings, Coach Klepper found his new system and team in a playoff spot. They also found several of their young stars being elevated for awards, as the Jaguars closed the regular season in a big way, winning their final 3 games to take and secure their division as AFC South champions.

Blake Bortles lead his team, closing with 35 touchdowns and 19 interceptions along with 4401 yards and landed himself the AFC Best QB award. He also found himself in the Pro Bowl, one of five representatives from the Jaguars team in the illustrious pre-Super Bowl event.

TJ Yeldon balanced the passing game with his running game, as he toted the ball 276 times for 1188 yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry, while also finding paydirt 14 times on the season. Spelling him was veteran trucking back, Chris Ivory, who ended the season with just 19 carries for 80 yards with 3 touchdowns.

Bortles' receiving corps had excellent seasons, as his top two targets also found themselves in the Pro Bowl this year. Wideout Allen Robinson ended the season with 1413 yards and a league-leading 17 receiving touchdowns, also landing himself the AFC Best WR award. Tight end Julius Thomas earned the other Pro Bowl vote, finishing with 1192 yards and 4 touchdowns. Opposite of Robinson, Allen Hurns finished the year with just 504 yards and 6 touchdowns, but spent half the season on the disabled list.

Defensively, the team was lead by standout rookie and first round pick, Jalen Ramsey, who landed the AFC Defensive Rookie Of The Year award, finishing the season with a sack, 6 interceptions, and a forced fumble, while providing a shutdown corner role all year long. He was one of two defensive Jaguars to receive mentions, along with pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr, who closed the year with 15.5 sacks, an interception, and a pair of forced fumbles. The secondary was their strongest point, as the starting tandem of Ramsey, Prince Amukamara, Aaron Colvin, Tashaun Gipson, and Johnathan Cyprien combined for 24 interceptions. The front seven, consisting of Fowler, Myles Jack, Telvin Smith, Paul Posluszny, Roy Miller, Malik Jackson, and Tyson Alualu, combined for 30 sacks.

The defense combined for the 7th best team in total yardage allowed, 2nd best in rush yards allowed, 10th in points allowed, 11th in red zone defense, while the offense finished 10 in total yards gained, 11th in passing yards, 10th in total points, tied for 2nd in 3rd down conversions, 2nd in red zne efficiency, and the whole team combined for 7th in the league in fewest penalties committed, 6th in penalty yards lost, and a turnover differential of +12.

Unfortunately, the storybook tale ended in the wildcard round, as the Jaguars, beset by a sudden onset of fumbles, 3 of which were counted, forced Bortles to throw at the Browns defense while missing his #2 receiver Allen Hurns and his Pro Bowl tight end Julius Thomas, resulting in 4 interceptions and a quick exit from the playoffs.

With everyone getting healthy, the team now looks towards the future as several big names are up for resigning, such as Aaron Colvin, Marqise Lee, Luke Joeckel, Brandon Linder, Telvin Smith, Paul Posluszny, Blake Bortles, and Allen Robinson. Past that, an interesting free agent class should spring up, followed by a draft loaded with young talent that could propel the team back into the playoffs, and possibly the big game. As a team that was never considered a true playoff threat, they came flying from the shadows to overtake their division and generate interest in players looking for a ride to the show, while forcing other teams, especially division rivals, to take notice of the young and rising team that resides in Jacksonville, Florida.