1996 Jacksonville Jaguars season
Encyclopedia
The 1996
Jacksonville Jaguars
season was the team's second year in the National Football League
, and saw the Jaguars trying to improve on their 4-12 record from their inaugural season. The Jaguars marked success as they won six of their last seven games of the season and finished with a record of 9–7. The credit for this midseason turnaround probably lies in the demotion of wide receiver Andre Rison in favor of Jimmy Smith after a game against the St. Louis Rams in which Brunell threw 5 interceptions. The interceptions were blamed on Rison and he was benched. In the team's final game of the regular season against the Atlanta Falcons, needing a win to earn a playoff berth, the Jaguars caught a bit of luck when Morten Andersen missed a 30 yard field goal with less than a minute remaining that would have given the Falcons the lead.[7] The Jaguars clinched the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Jaguars achieved their first ever franchise playoff game victory, in a stunning upset on the road against the Buffalo Bills
. Their next game was on the road against the Denver Broncos
, who had dominated the AFC with a 13–3 record
(and earned the top AFC seed). The upstart Jaguars were not intimidated by the Broncos or their fans and their good fortune continued, as they largely dominated from the second quarter on. A late touchdown pass from Mark Brunell to Jimmy Smith gave the Jags a 30–20 lead. They held on to win in a huge upset, 30–27, in a game that many people still consider the franchise's finest hour. Upon their return home, the Jags were greeted by an estimated 40,000 fans at the stadium. Many of these fans had watched the game on the stadium JumboTron displays and had stayed into the early hours of the morning when the team arrived. In the AFC Championship Game, the Jaguars acquitted themselves very well, playing a tight and close defensive game in a hostile environment for over three quarters before finally losing 20–6 to the New England Patriots on the road.
1996 NFL season
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
season was the team's second year in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, and saw the Jaguars trying to improve on their 4-12 record from their inaugural season. The Jaguars marked success as they won six of their last seven games of the season and finished with a record of 9–7. The credit for this midseason turnaround probably lies in the demotion of wide receiver Andre Rison in favor of Jimmy Smith after a game against the St. Louis Rams in which Brunell threw 5 interceptions. The interceptions were blamed on Rison and he was benched. In the team's final game of the regular season against the Atlanta Falcons, needing a win to earn a playoff berth, the Jaguars caught a bit of luck when Morten Andersen missed a 30 yard field goal with less than a minute remaining that would have given the Falcons the lead.[7] The Jaguars clinched the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Jaguars achieved their first ever franchise playoff game victory, in a stunning upset on the road against the Buffalo Bills
1996 Buffalo Bills season
The 1996 Buffalo Bills season was their 37th in the league. The team matched their previous season's output of 10–6. They qualified for the playoffs for the second consecutive season.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Playoffs:-References:...
. Their next game was on the road against the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, who had dominated the AFC with a 13–3 record
1996 Denver Broncos season
-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Awards and records:Pro BowlQB John ElwayRB Terrell DavisTE Shannon SharpeT Gary ZimmermanDE Alfred WilliamsDT Michael PerryLB Bill RomanowskiS Steve AtwaterS Tyrone BraxtonAP Offensive Player of the Year – Terrell Davis...
(and earned the top AFC seed). The upstart Jaguars were not intimidated by the Broncos or their fans and their good fortune continued, as they largely dominated from the second quarter on. A late touchdown pass from Mark Brunell to Jimmy Smith gave the Jags a 30–20 lead. They held on to win in a huge upset, 30–27, in a game that many people still consider the franchise's finest hour. Upon their return home, the Jags were greeted by an estimated 40,000 fans at the stadium. Many of these fans had watched the game on the stadium JumboTron displays and had stayed into the early hours of the morning when the team arrived. In the AFC Championship Game, the Jaguars acquitted themselves very well, playing a tight and close defensive game in a hostile environment for over three quarters before finally losing 20–6 to the New England Patriots on the road.
Staff
Roster
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV Time | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 1, 1996 | Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
W 24–9 | NBC 1:00pm | |
|
| 2 | September 8, 1996 | Houston Oilers | L 34–27 | NBC 1:00pm | |
|
| 3 | September 15, 1996 | at Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 17–3 | NBC 4:00pm | |
|
| 4 | September 22, 1996 | at New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... |
L 28–25 (OT) | NBC 4:00pm | |
|
| 5 | September 29, 1996 | Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion... |
W 24–14 | FOX 1:00pm | |
|
| 6 | October 6, 1996 | at New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League .... |
L 17–13 | NBC 1:00pm | |
|
| 7 | October 13, 1996 | New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 21–17 | NBC 1:00pm | |
|
| 8 | October 20, 1996 | at St. Louis Rams St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,... |
L 17–14 | NBC 1:00pm | |
|
| 9 | October 27, 1996 | at Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL... |
L 28–21 | NBC 1:00pm | |
|
| 10 | Bye Bye (sports) A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing... |
|||||
| 11 | November 10, 1996 | Baltimore Ravens Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his... |
W 30–27 | NBC 4:00pm | |
|
| 12 | November 17, 1996 | at Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
L 28–3 | NBC 1:00pm | |
|
| 13 | November 24, 1996 | at Baltimore Ravens Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his... |
W 28–25 (OT) | NBC 1:00pm | |
|
| 14 | December 1, 1996 | Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL... |
W 30–27 | NBC 1:00pm | |
|
| 15 | December 8, 1996 | at Houston Oilers | W 23–17 | NBC 1:00pm | |
|
| 16 | December 15, 1996 | Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
W 20–13 | ESPN 8:00pm | |
|
| 17 | December 22, 1996 | Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 19–17 | FOX 1:00pm | |
|
Playoffs
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild-Card | December 28, 1996 | at Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 30–27 | |
| Divisional | January 4, 1997 | Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 30–27 | |
| AFC Championship | January 12, 1997 | at New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... |
L 20–6 | |
Awards and records
- Mark BrunellMark BrunellMark Allen Brunell is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the New York Jets. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington....
, Franchise Record, Most Passing Yards in One Game, 432 yards (Sept 22, 1996) - Mark Brunell, Franchise Record, Most Passing Yards in One Season, 4,367 Yards
- Mark Brunell, Led NFL Passing Yards, 4,367 Yards
- Mark Brunell, Pro Bowl MVP Award
- Mike HollisMike HollisMichael Shane Hollis is a former professional American football placekicker. He spent most of his nine-year professional career playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League , kicking for the team from 1995–2001 and setting several team records...
, Franchise Record, Most Field Goals in One Game, 5 Field Goals (December 1, 1996) - Keenan McCardellKeenan McCardellKeenan Wayne McCardell is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League and current wide receivers coach for the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Redskins in the 12th round of the 1991 NFL Draft...
, Franchise Record, Most Receptions in One Game, 16 receptions (Oct 20, 1996)
Milestones
- Keenan McCardellKeenan McCardellKeenan Wayne McCardell is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League and current wide receivers coach for the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Redskins in the 12th round of the 1991 NFL Draft...
, 1,000 yard receiving season (1,129 yards) - Jimmy Smith, 1,000 yard receiving season (1,244 yards)