Among the themes and storylines in Trent Baalke’s Jaguars’ end-of-season press releases, perhaps one stood out: The Jaguars need to improve in many areas moving forward.
“We have to get bigger, we have to get stronger, we have to be more physical in the trenches,” Baalke said.
The Jaguars, after winning the AFC South title in 2022, started 2023 8-3 before losing five of their last six games, missing the postseason and missing the division by one game.
After rushing for over 100 yards in seven of their first ten games, they’ve done so just once in their last seven.
They began the season as one of the best defenses in the NFL, but allowed 150 or more yards rushing in three major season-ending losses: 156 at home against Cincinnati in Week 13, 251 against Baltimore in Week 15, and 175 against Tennessee in Week 13. week 18. .“If you can’t run the football and, later in the year, you can’t stop the run, that’s a problem in the National Football League,” Baalke said.
“We have always prided ourselves on being able to do that: make the football run, stop the run. For whatever reason we couldn’t do it. I think there are a lot of moving parts to this. I don’t think it’s just player related, I don’t think it’s just scheme related.”If you want to compete for the championship, you have to do it. I think we have some good pieces there, we have some good young people, but we have to improve.
