Outlook for Gardner Minshew and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020

Schedule/Divisional Matchups & Overall Outlook for Jags

As I mentioned before, this could be Marrone and Caldwell’s last season unless the Jags turn it around under Minshew. The division has been extremely competitive having three of the four teams go to the AFC championship in the last six seasons, while the lone team who hasn’t, the Texans, have won four of the last five divisional titles.

With the acquisition of Philip Rivers, the Colts should be much more competitive while Houston and Tennessee will want to build off their previous success. Wins will be hard to come by in this division for Minshew and the Jags, but it will absolutely be crucial regarding their team success. They kick off their season at home against Indy and on the road at Tennessee. If they can garner a 2-0/1-1 going into a stretch where they play vs. Miami, at Cincinnati, and vs. Detroit in three of the next four weeks, the Jaguars could start off really strong.

However, after their bye week, they will have to play at Green Bay, vs. Pittsburgh, at Minnesota, and at Baltimore rounding out a very stingy second half of their schedule. It is absolutely crucial that the Jaguars start out with at least four wins in their first six games because after that wins will be really hard to come by.

Leading the way will be Minshew, a man not short on confidence:

"“I know I am going to be a great quarterback in this league. I think we are going to build something great here. And it is irrelevant what they do as to what we are building” (via Demetrius Harvey)."

With the additions of Gruden and Mcadoo to their offensive staff and the likes of Eifert, Shenault, and Thompson, we should expect more explosion and versatility from the Jags offense. But Minshew will also have a considerable amount of hurdles in this upcoming season: getting chemistry in a new offense during this ongoing pandemic, managing the inconsistency of Leonard Fournette, their once franchise player, and a general manager and head coach fighting to keep their jobs.

The Jaguars are in the beginning of a massive reload. What once looked like a surefire defensive powerhouse for years to come, the Jags went from a near Super Bowl appearance to back to back last place finishes in the AFC South the last two seasons.

The Jaguars seemed to have drafted really well last year with the likes of Minshew, Josh Allen, Quincy Williams and Jawaan Taylor. They need to build on this, as twelve more draft picks will be brought onto this roster. The Jaguars may not be contending this upcoming season but there are signs of progress and hope if Minshew can progress.