Roaring Forward: The 1997 Jacksonville Jaguars Prove They Belong

The 1997 Jacksonville Jaguars came into the season on a high. As a second-year franchise in 1996, they shocked the world with a late-season run to squeak into the playoffs and then reached the AFC Championship Game. Was that real or was it a fluke? In ’97, the Jags enjoyed a stronger regular season, got back in the playoffs, and solidified their standing as a contender.

A high-powered offense was the key. Mark Brunell had to miss the first two games of the season, but when he returned, the lefty put up Pro Bowl numbers—his 61 percent completion percentage, 7.5 yards-per-attempt, and 1.6 percent interception rate were all in the top four of NFL starting quarterbacks.

Brunell had a big-play threat in Jimmy Smith, a Pro Bowl receiver who caught 82 passes at better than 16 yards a catch. Keenan McCardell added 85 more receptions for over 1,100 yards. When Brunell needed to work underneath, he had tight end Pete Mitchell and running back James Stewart, who combined for 76 more catches.

The offensive line was anchored by the great Tony Boselli. The 25-year-old left tackle had the first All-Pro season of what would be a Hall of Fame career. Boselli and the line paved the way for Natrone Means to rush for over 800 yards and Stewart to add 555 more. The Jaguar offense ended up third in the league for points scored.

Jacksonville’s defense was a little more pedestrian. No one made the Pro Bowl, and the only notable playmakers were defensive end Clyde Simmons, who finished with 8 ½ sacks, and corner Deon Figures and his five interceptions. The Jag defense ended 15^th in what was then a 30-team league for points allowed.

Brunell’s training camp knee injury thrust Rob Johnson into the starting role at Baltimore for Week 1. Johnson was brilliant. He went 20/24 for 294 yards and no mistakes. Simmons came up with two sacks and Figures intercepted two passes. The Jaguar defense showed its flaws, and they trailed 27-21 in the fourth quarter. But Johnson, briefly sidelined himself with an ankle injury, came back to hit Smith with a 28-yard touchdown pass that pulled out a one-point win.

It turned out, however, that Johnson’s ankle injury was more serious. Third-stringer Steve Matthews was pressed into action against a New York Giants team that ultimately went on to win the NFC East. In the home opener, Matthews played well. He went 23/34 for 252 yards. Smith had eight catches and his second straight 100-plus yard receiving game. After spotting the Giants an early touchdown, Jacksonville got rolling, Means ran for 85 yards, and they cruised to a 40-13 win.

An early bye week was timely and allowed Brunell to get healthy. It was particularly timely given the opponent—the Pittsburgh Steelers were coming south for Monday Night Football.

This was more than a big game in prime-time against a perennial contender just two years removed from reaching the Super Bowl. In the alignment that existed prior to 2002, this was a divisional game. In the old AFC Central, Jacksonville joined Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore, and Tennessee. There was no Cleveland team, as we were in the four-year window between the Browns’ relocation (and renaming) to Baltimore and the establishment of a new franchise. What’s more, Tennessee was not yet called the Titans—they were in their first year after moving from Houston and were still called the Oilers.

In short, the AFC Central was ground zero for fluidity in the late 1990s, between expansion and franchise relocation. But for our purposes here, the most important thing is that Pittsburgh was the team to beat.

The Monday Night battle would be a classic. Jacksonville was outrushed 153-40, but Brunell made big plays, going 24/42 for 306 yards. Smith caught ten balls for 164 yards. The Jags clung to a 21-20 lead late, but the Steelers were lined up for a field goal. Jacksonville blocked it. Chris Hudson scooped up the ball and raced 58 yards to the end zone. The Jaguars had a dramatic 30-21 win.

Jacksonville traveled to Washington, where the Redskins would stay in the playoff race until the final week. The Jags controlled play early, but three drives—two of them into the red zone—had to end with field goals. Then they bogged down. Brunell didn’t play well, the running game never got going and Jacksonville took their first loss of the season, 24-12.

A home game with mediocre Cincinnati was ho-hum for a half, tied 7-7. Brunell picked up the pace in the second half, throwing two touchdowns and leading a 21-13 win. The late momentum carried over into another home date with a pedestrian opponent, this one the Philadelphia Eagles. Stewart scored three touchdowns in the first quarter, en route to 102 yards on the day. The defense had four sacks, and the Jags delivered an easy 38-21 win.

Now 5-1, Jacksonville went to Dallas. The Cowboys were starting to fade from the dynastic status they enjoyed in the first half of the 1990s, and they would collapse hard in December of this year. But in mid-October, they were playing better. The Jaguars couldn’t run the ball and in a back-and-forth game, gave up a long touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that sealed a 26-22 loss.

The return trip to Pittsburgh was in the late afternoon TV window. Jacksonville again lost the ground battle to the Steelers, this time 141-73 in rush yards. This time, Brunell was sacked four times and outplayed by counterpart Kordell Stewart. The Jaguars got some breaks and recovered three fumbles, keeping the game close and it went to overtime. But in the end, they lost 23-17.

Jacksonville went on to Tennessee. After Brunell threw an early Pick-6, the Jags got the running game going. Stewart gained 99 yards on 17 carries. Hudson returned a fumble 32 yards for a score. Jacksonville built a 27-10 lead and then held on to win 30-24.

That set up a high-profile visit from Kansas City. The Chiefs were on their way to the 1-seed in the AFC. The Jaguar offense had its problems—Brunell only went 9/21, although he did hit some big plays, getting 199 yards out of those nine completions. They only had the ball for 23-plus minutes. But what Jacksonville did was collect turnovers. Five of them in all. They also produced six sacks, two apiece from Simmons and Jeff Lageman. The result was a sweet 24-10 win that pushed their record to 7-3.

They kept it going in the second game in three weeks with Tennessee. Brunell heated up, going 22/30 for 267 yards. Smith caught eight balls for 158 yards. It was enough to churn out a 17-10 win.

On the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving, Jacksonville went to Cincinnati. The Jags were terribly slow out of the gate and fell behind 28-7. Then they got cooking. Brunell went 20/33 for 286 yards, with both Smith and McCardell going for 100-plus yards receiving. Stewart ran for 96 yards. They closed to within 31-20 and then launched two good drives late in the game. But both times, they settled for field goals in the red zone. In a game where they controlled the flow of the play, Jacksonville lost 31-26.

At 8-4, they were still in good shape to return to the playoffs. They were tied with Pittsburgh for the division lead, although the Steelers controlled the tiebreaker. At a time when two teams per conference got first-round byes, Jacksonville had a shot at the 2-seed.

They hosted the Ravens. Brunell again threw a Pick-6 early in the game. Again, he bounced back, this time going 25/40 for 317 yards and spreading the ball around. The final of this one was remarkably similar to the season opener, ending with a 29-27 Jaguar win. The Steelers held serve

New England was who had knocked Jacksonville out of last year’s postseason and the Patriots were coming down the stretch in what would prove a successful quest to win another AFC East title. Jacksonville did not play well at home. While McCardell caught 11 passes for 152 yards, no one else stood out and they trailed 26-13 in the fourth quarter. Reggie Barlow made it interesting by bringing a kickoff back 92 yards with just under six minutes to go. But it ended there, a 26-20 loss. Pittsburgh won and put the division under firm control.

A year earlier, Jacksonville had gone up to Buffalo for Wild-Card Weekend and came home with a dramatic win. This year’s Bills team was in transition and no longer a contender. Brunell and Means both ran for early touchdowns to get a quick 14-0 lead. The lack of a running game let Buffalo hang around, but Brunell went 24/32 for 317 yards and delivered a 20-14 win.

Pittsburgh also won, which settled the playoff picture. With AFC West rivals Kansas City and Denver setting the pace for the entire conference and this being a three-divisional format era, Jacksonville was the second of three wild-cards. By the next night, when the West was settled, the Jaguars knew they were going to Denver.

They tuned up with a comfortable win at the lowly Oakland Raiders. Brunell threw early touchdown passes from 35 yards to McCardell and 26 yards to Damon Jones. McCardell’s seven catches produced 116 yards. Brunell finished 18/27 for 243 yards. Defensively, seven different players combined for six sacks. The 20-9 win put the finishing touches on an impressive 11-5 campaign.

 A year earlier, Jacksonville went to Denver for the Divisional Round and shocked the Broncos as a double-digit underdog. Oddsmakers were more circumspect this year, but the Jaguars were still a (-6 ½) point dog.

Just like a year ago, Jacksonville fell behind early, 21-0. Just like a year ago, the Jaguars rallied, surging to cut the lead to 21-17. But that was where the similarities stopped. They were being annihilated in the trenches and lost rush yardage 310-50. The Broncos pulled back away and ended the Jags’ season, 42-17.

A first-round exit was disappointing, but this was a Denver team that would go on to win the next two Super Bowls. More important, the entire season established that Jacksonville had truly arrived. In 1998, they captured their first division title and won a playoff game. In 1999, they returned to the AFC Championship Game.