The 1992 Chargers remain the only team to turn an 0-4 start into a playoff berth. With the NFL now at seven playoff teams per conference, that number should eventually balloon at some point in the not-so-distant future. The Jaguars came into the season with playoff aspirations, but they must climb out of this historically deep hole if they are to realize them.
Three of Jacksonville’s four losses have come by one score, and the team’s top cornerback did not finish any of those games. A piece of good news will come out of Duval County, however, as its team aims to stabilize its season. Tyson Campbell is on his way back from a hamstring injury; the Jaguars designated the veteran corner to return from IR on Wednesday.
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Campbell did play in most of the Jags’ Week 1 loss to the Dolphins but has missed the past four contests. That absence duration makes him eligible to be activated in Week 6. With the Jaguars beginning their two-week London swing, they will hope to have the recently extended defender back in uniform. Though, Doug Pederson said he is aiming for (via Underdog Fantasy’s James Palmer) a Week 7 Campbell return. The Jags face the Patriots in their second 2024 England tilt.
The Jags won both their London games last season, beating the Falcons and Bills. That team started 8-3; Pederson’s latest Jags outfit is far more desperate heading to England. The team’s losses to the Dolphins (albeit with Tua Tagovailoa in uniform) and Browns look worse now, though its narrow defeat in Houston showed the team is capable of pushing a higher-end opponent. The Jags then topped the Colts for the 11th straight year at home, potentially saving Pederson’s job. They will open their London slate against the Bears.
Although Trevor Lawrence and Josh Hines-Allen‘s deals came in much higher than Campbell’s offseason extension, the Jags’ third major 2024 re-up is the third-most lucrative pact in team history. The team showed tremendous faith in Campbell by agreeing to a four-year, $76.5MM deal.
The former third-round pick has enjoyed an up-and-down career, allowing eight touchdowns as the closest defender in coverage last season and six in 2022. The ’22 season, however, also featured Campbell yielding only a 78.0 passer rating and 54.2% completion rate. His 2023 numbers in those categories (128.5, 69.4) revealed some inconsistency, but the Jags still invested heavily in the Urban Meyer draftee. Campbell will attempt to justify this extension this season, though the Jags are committed to him for the long haul due to a rolling guarantee structure. Their defense, which ranks 30th in points allowed and 31st in yardage, needs all the help it can get.
Coach Pederson, I hope you saw what happened in NY! You should be next to be canned.