NFL playoffs entrance survey: Can Trevor Lawrence’s sophomore leap withstand wrath of AFC contenders?

Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars won the AFC South title this year for the first time since the 2017 season.

Jacksonville finished the regular season 9-8, and defeated their divisional rival, the Tennessee Titans, during their season finale in a 'play-in' game that they won 20-16.

The team took a tremendous leap from being the worst in the league last season (3-14) and earning the number-one overall pick for the second-straight season last year.

They won six more games and finished the 2022-2023 regular season with a 9-8 record.

Trevor Lawrence was one of the many key pieces that played a role in the Jaguars' success. Coming out as the number one pick in the draft last year, Lawrence had high expectations but had a rather disappointing rookie season.

Lawrence completed 59.6 percent of passes for 3,641 yards, had 12 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, with a 71.9 passer rating.

This season, Trevor Lawrence has completed 66.3 percent of passes, 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions this season, and has added five rushing touchdowns.

The team also thrived alongside head coach Doug Pederson in his first year with the team.

The Jags struck out last season when they hired Urban Meyer to be their head coach for the 2021 campaign. He finished 2-11 as the head coach and set the Jaguars back, being a terrible coach in their system.

A season later, the Jags decided to hire former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson. In his first season with the team, they finished with a 9-8 record, winning the AFC South and securing a playoff appearance.

The team added a number of weapons in free agency to help out Trevor Lawrence, such as wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. They also signed tight end Evan Engram and offensive guard Brandon Scherff.

Their next challenge: the playoffs.

The Jaguars will host the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night. They defeated them earlier this season, 38-10 at the SoFi Stadium.

Head coach Doug Pederson knows both teams are different since their last meeting.

"They're different. We're different. That was a long time ago. There's some new faces on their side. There's some new faces on our side. Schematically, probably both the same with us and with them. Again, we've talked about it a lot. You're not going to trick anybody. It just comes down to execution, both sides, them and us."

Why Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars are a good bet

Trevor Lawrence's Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to make a Super Bowl run

Could this be deja vu all over again for the Jaguars of the 2017 season?

The young rising Jaguars of the 2017 season emerged out of nowhere and made some noise in the playoffs. They won the AFC South, defeated the Buffalo Bills and then the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

They made it all the way to the AFC Championship game before falling to the New England Patriots.

The Jaguars will host this Saturday's playoff game vs. the Los Angeles Chargers as they earned the fourth-seed in the AFC.

The Jaguars are also led by Doug Pederson. Pederson is one of the few active coaches that can say he has a Super Bowl victory on his resume.

The team started the season 2-6 but finished at 9-7, winning their last five games to close out the season.

Anything can happen in the playoffs, and the Jaguars seem to be peaking at the right time for something magical to happen. Their quest will begin with round two vs. the Chargers at home, Saturday night.