Jacksonville Jaguars put up strong show in 16-23 loss to New England Patriots – NFL Recap
Jacksonville Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey was full of praise for his team over showing character against the New England Patriots, although it did not prevent them from 16-23 loss in the home game on Sunday (Dec. 23).
This was 13th loss of the season for Jaguars, a franchise record of losses. They appear to be heading to end the season at 2-14, worst-ever performance given by the side since its inaugural in 1995.
Apparently being aware that they had nothing much left to lose, the Jags put in a maximum effort in the game and were almost closer to win. Loss of some easy opportunities at crucial moments took the game away from them.
Coach Mike said:
"We just came up short. We are going to go a long way with people like that, with that kind of character."
He added:
"I am very, very, very, very, very proud of this football team. Glad to be part of it, proud to be part of it. Fifteenth game - they were playing for a bye; we were playing for respect. Our guys, every one of them, showed up to win that
game."
This has almost ended the season for the Jags, with just one more game to go, and even though the team showed what the coach calls character during the season, the win in only two games might not be convincing enough for first-year owner
Shahid Khan.
Some commentators expect general manager Gene Smith and coach Mike Mularkey becoming the subjects of rebuilding drive at its start, at end of the regular season.
It is pertinent to note that the Jags managed five victories in the last season, and this year they have gone from bad to worse. The performance is lower than expectations of the owner, GM and coach. Except for the pair of wins, the team
struggled throughout the season.
Second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who had been given second chance with a warning to improve by Mularkey, after he had joined as head coach in January this year (2012), has failed the team again.
The offence leader has missed last few games with an arm injury but the season was over for him as far as his performance was concerned. Even backup QB Chad Henne has managed to give some decent performance as a Gabbert’s replacement.
However, overall the team has had major problems with its offence during the entire season. There is a hope that they might find a solution in form of star quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow is reported to be asking the New York Jets to trade
him off to another team, and some rumours have linked him to a possible move to the Jags. If that happens, the Jags have a potential to transform their offence for a better future.
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