Gus Bradley got fired and, voila, the Jaguars finally looked like the team they were supposed to be

There were high expectations for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016 after a breakout year for the offense in 2015 and an offseason’s worth of upgrades on defense. Basically, many expected the team to look like the one that dismantled the Tennessee Titans in Week 16.

Beginning with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on the opening possession, the Jaguars cruised through Tennessee in a 38-17 victory with 415 yards of total offense, while the defense shut down the Titans, holding the opposition to just 263 yards.

And it came just six days after the Jaguars fired Gus Bradley as the team’s head coach.

Bradley already had a strong case as the worst coach in NFL history, but the argument was punctuated by the team’s performance on Christmas Eve. During his tenure that ended with a 14-48 record — the only time a coach has ever won less than a quarter of the time in over 60 games — the Jaguars had similarly dominating performances, but somehow found a way to lose.

Just a month ago, Jacksonville began November by racking up a season-high 449 yards of offense against the Kansas City Chiefs, but still managed to lose 19-14. This, despite the fact that the Nick Foles-led Chiefs only mustered 231 yards of offense.

It was a team that didn’t know how to win games, but that magically flipped less than a week after Bradley was no longer a part of things in Jacksonville. Even though interim head coach Doug Marrone and Jaguars players still insist that Bradley wasn’t the reason for the team’s failures.

“There will be cynics who say, ‘See, it was all coaching after all and Gus Bradley should have been fired long ago,’” Jaguars.com writer John Oehser wrote after the win. “Saturday’s result can’t reasonably be all attributed to a coaching change.”

But boy does it sure seem like it can be attributed to that.

In just one game, Marrone showed the aggressiveness and willingness to go for the throat of the opponent that Bradley seemed to lack in four years behind the wheel.

The defense made a big play and scored a touchdown for the first time all season, and an offense that looked out of sync all year finally looked in rhythm one week after finishing with a laughable 150 yards in Week 15.

For the first time in 2016, Blake Bortles finished with a passer rating over 100, and his connection with Allen Robinson finally looked like it did in 2015 when the receiver led the NFL in touchdowns and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl.

Pinning the blame on Bradley for keeping Bortles from playing at a high level is a stretch, but there was certainly a comfort level for the quarterback and team that hasn’t been seen during the franchise’s disastrous 2016 season.

Marrone — who was promoted from assistant head coach to interim head coach the day after Bradley was fired — was previously the head coach of the Buffalo Bills for two seasons before opting out of his contract after leading the team to a 9-7 record in 2014.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Jaguars are expected to be interested in Marrone, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph as potential candidates. Former Jaguars and New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin is also scheduled to interview, although he could join the team in a capacity other than head coach.

“We want a guy that can bring a winning culture to this team,” Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said a day after Bradley was fired. “We have our list of priorities for what we’re looking for and we’ll keep that internal for now, but I think [we’re looking] for a guy to come in and really set this culture in terms of us playing winning football.”

The biggest question of the offseason for the Jaguars will be the future of Bortles, who took a significant step back after smashing franchise passing records in 2015. But Caldwell said there will be no mandate to keep Bortles under center, and there’s enough young talent on the team like Robinson, Jalen Ramsey and Yannick Ngakoue, among others, to make it one of the most attractive jobs on the market.

Saturday showed that the Jaguars still have the talent and ability to be one of the most exciting, up-and-coming teams in the NFL. It may just need a winner calling the shots on the sideline.