How the Jaguars made the NFL playoffs for the 1st time in a decade

The Jacksonville Jaguars booked a spot in the postseason Sunday, clinching the first playoff berth for the franchise since 2007 with a 45-7 blowout of the Houston Texans.

In the nine seasons between trips to the playoffs, the Jaguars posted a collective record of 42-102 with at least 11 losses in each of the last six seasons. Just last year, the team finished 3-13 and fired Gus Bradley as head coach late in the season.

But under Doug Marrone in 2017, the Jaguars have leaned on defense and a powerful rushing attack to get to 10-4 — also the team’s first winning season in a decade. Jacksonville is now in line for its first division title since 1999 as long as it can hold off an up-and-down Titans team along the way.

No team in 2017 allows fewer points, sacks more opposing quarterbacks or forces more turnovers than Jacksonville.

In the offseason, Tom Coughlin returned to Jacksonville where he served as the franchise’s first coach from 1995 to 2002 — leading the team to two AFC Championships over that span. He’s now the Jaguars’ executive vice president and leads a front office that added many crucial pieces in the spring.

The most important additions were veterans Calais Campbell, A.J. Bouye, and Barry Church, who were added to a young nucleus that already had emerging stars like Jalen Ramsey and Telvin Smith in place. Now the Jaguars are shattering franchise records and shutting down opponents during one of the best seasons in the team’s history.

On offense, the Jaguars lean heavily on Leonard Fournette — the No. 4 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. With the rookie taking the majority of the carries, the Jaguars lead the NFL in rushing attempts and yards.

Even with Fournette out of action against the Texans in Week 15, the team still ran the ball 38 times for 138 rushing yards. The rookie running back’s quad and ankle injuries aren’t considered serious, and he’s expected to be a full go when it’s playoff time.

The problem for the team — and potentially its Achilles’ heel in January — is the inconsistent play of Blake Bortles and the team’s passing offense.

Bortles has been notorious for turnovers during his career, but the fourth-year quarterback has done a better job avoiding them in 2017. Still, the team’s four losses included poor performances by Bortles who threw two interceptions in a loss to the Titans, completed just 15 of 35 passes against the Jets, and made several egregious errors in a loss to the Cardinals.

What makes the Jaguars especially scary now, though, is that Bortles has been exceptional in December with seven touchdowns, no interceptions, and an average of 301 yards per game. If he continues that play into January, there are few weaknesses of the Jaguars to attempt to exploit.

Still, taking the pressure of Bortles with rushing success will be a key to the Jaguars doing damage in the playoffs.

For now though, the Jaguars still have plenty on the line in the final two weeks of the season. A Wild Card berth in the AFC is locked up, but the Jaguars can still top the Titans — who they’ll face in Week 17 — for the AFC South crown.

Tennessee has been up and down this fall, beating teams like the Seahawks and Jaguars but finding a way to lose to the Cardinals and Dolphins. Like Jacksonville, Tennessee has to deal with quarterback questions of its own — Marcus Mariota is in the midst of his worst season as a pro.

It would be the first AFC South championship for the Jaguars since the division was created in 2002 and would guarantee a postseason game in Jacksonville for the first time since the AFC Championship in January 2000.

Regardless of how the divisional race plays out, the Jaguars’ season will continue into the playoffs and that’s a welcomed sight for a franchise that hasn’t been close to a winner in a long time.