Jacksonville Jaguars

When the NFL awarded Jacksonville an expansion franchise in 1993, skeptics questioned whether a mid-sized Florida city could support professional football. Tom Coughlin, the team's first head coach, silenced those doubts with a ferocity that matched his relentless personality. Coughlin built the Jaguars on toughness, discipline, and a ground-and-pound offensive identity that belied the franchise's infancy.

The Jaguars went 4-12 in their inaugural 1995 season, which was expected. What nobody expected was what happened next. In 1996 — just their second year of existence — Jacksonville went 9-7 and reached the AFC Championship Game, stunning the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos in the playoffs before falling to the New England Patriots. It was one of the most remarkable runs by any team in any sport, let alone an expansion franchise still decorating its front offices.

The 1997 and 1998 seasons brought continued success. Mark Brunell established himself as one of the AFC's best quarterbacks, and Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell formed one of the league's most dangerous receiving tandems. Fred Taylor, drafted in 1998, added a dynamic rushing attack that gave the offense a physical identity to match Coughlin's demanding coaching style. Jacksonville was no longer a curiosity; it was a legitimate contender.

The 1999 season was the best in franchise history. The Jaguars went 14-2, the best record in the NFL, powered by a defense that allowed the fewest points in the league and an offense that could beat teams on the ground or through the air. Jacksonville dismantled the Miami Dolphins 62-7 in the divisional round — a performance so dominant it felt like a statement to the entire league.

But the AFC Championship Game brought heartbreak. The Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars' fiercest divisional rival, beat Jacksonville 33-14, denying the franchise its first Super Bowl appearance. It was a devastating loss, made worse by the fact that the 1999 Jaguars were widely considered the most complete team in football that season.

The 2000 and 2001 seasons brought diminishing returns, and Coughlin was fired after a 6-10 record in 2002. His departure marked the end of the franchise's first golden age. Coughlin would go on to win two Super Bowls with the New York Giants, and Jacksonville would spend years searching for a coach who could replicate his success.

Jack Del Rio brought defensive credibility and a no-nonsense attitude to Jacksonville, but his tenure was defined by inconsistency. The 2005 season produced a 12-4 record and a wild card win, and the 2007 season brought an 11-5 record and a playoff victory over the Steelers. But for every step forward, there seemed to be a step back.

The roster talent was uneven. Fred Taylor remained productive until his departure after 2008, David Garrard provided competent but unspectacular quarterback play, and Maurice Jones-Drew emerged as one of the league's best running backs. But Jacksonville never quite assembled the complete roster needed to break through to a Super Bowl.

Del Rio was fired in 2011 after a 2-12 start, and the franchise began a descent that would test the patience of even the most loyal supporters. Attendance dwindled, and rumors of relocation — to Los Angeles, to London — became a recurring subplot that cast a shadow over everything the franchise tried to accomplish on the field.

Shad Khan purchased the Jaguars in 2012, becoming the first member of an ethnic minority to own an NFL franchise. Khan's commitment to keeping the team in Jacksonville quieted relocation rumors and brought financial stability, but the on-field product was dismal. The Jaguars went 2-14 in 2012 and 2013, and the team cycled through Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne at quarterback without finding an answer.

The 2013 season was historically bad. The Jaguars started 0-8 and finished 4-12, and their ineptitude became a national punchline. The hiring of Gus Bradley in 2013 was supposed to bring the defensive intensity of the Seattle Seahawks' Legion of Boom to Jacksonville. Instead, Bradley went 14-48 in parts of four seasons — one of the worst coaching records in modern NFL history.

The 2014 Draft brought Blake Bortles, selected third overall, but Bortles' development was uneven. The Jaguars remained mired in the AFC South basement, and the patience of a fan base already tested by years of losing was wearing thin. The only silver lining was Khan's continued investment in the franchise and the city, including major renovations to EverBank Stadium.

Everything came together in 2017. Doug Marrone, who took over late in 2016, presided over one of the most stunning single-season turnarounds in recent NFL history. The Jaguars went 10-6, powered by a defense so dominant it earned the nickname "Sacksonville." Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, Myles Jack, Jalen Ramsey, and A.J. Bouye formed a unit that terrorized opposing quarterbacks and shut down passing games.

The playoff run was electric. Jacksonville beat Buffalo in the wild card round and then stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round. In the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots, the Jaguars led 20-10 in the fourth quarter — 15 minutes from the Super Bowl. But Tom Brady engineered one of his trademark comebacks, and the Patriots won 24-20. The loss was devastating, the kind that haunts a franchise for years.

The hangover was swift and brutal. The 2018 and 2019 seasons brought 5-11 and 6-10 records, respectively. Bortles was benched, Ramsey demanded a trade, and the championship window slammed shut almost as quickly as it had opened. It was the cruelest kind of tease — a glimpse of greatness followed by a return to futility.