For 18 weeks, the NFL has control over American living rooms. Out of 32 teams in the league, only one gets the coveted Lombardi Trophy each year. People bet millions of dollars on the outcome of a three-and-a-half-hour game. Throughout the span of 56 Super Bowls, 12 teams have yet to take home the crown. And out of those 12 teams, four have yet to make it to the game: the Browns, the Texans, the Lions and of course, the Jaguars.
This year, I am here to inform you all that it will be the year of the Jaguar, and I have three statistically proven reasons you should all agree with me.
Who doesn’t love an underdog story?
Seriously, if you don’t absolutely love an underdog story, I don’t know who you are. Do we seriously want the Patriots to win again? I love New England more than the next person. But their football team is simply not it. There are only four teams that have never made it to the Super Bowl, and you already know the Jaguars are one of them. Ok, I know it’s tough to root for Trevor Lawrence. But can you seriously look me in the eye and tell me you would want Tom Brady to win over him?
Listen, I might not know much about football. But I know you’re wrong about that one. “Oh but Olivia, he’s the best of all time.” I do not care. Simply could not care less. He’s not the narrative we are looking for in this upcoming Super Bowl. You could maybe get me on board if he didn’t quit and then come back, and then quit and then come back. That’s a lame storyline and all of his fans know it.
They are right on the cusp
To be fair, I learned less than five minutes ago that not all teams make it to the playoffs. But after some more (very simple) research, I have determined that the Jaguars are right on the cusp of making it. And as my friend and assistant managing editor Mannion McGinley, who pays attention to football way more than me, puts it: “Especially for Jaguar standards, they have a chance.”
If you are sitting here reading this thinking, “There is absolutely no way they are making it,” I want you to look in your past as a Notre Dame fan and think about how many times you have wished for a long shot. Done thinking? Great, let’s get back to dreaming.
We are going into week four of NFL play, which gives the Jaguars plenty of time to beat their current odds. Yes, their first game of the season. But they won the last two! Can Notre Dame fans tell me we really cannot support this? And the Jaguars’ last two wins have been blowouts, beating the Colts 24-0 and the Chargers 38-10.
The Jaguars face the Eagles next, and while the odds are not in their favor, I believe the Jaguars still have a chance. Especially coming off of their last two wins. If the Jaguars can continue in this direction, I believe they can make the playoffs. And once they make the playoffs, I believe they can take it all the way.
They have a sick mascot
How are you rooting for teams like the Patriots, the Texans and the Chargers when a team like the Jaguars exist? The alliteration in the name alone should be the reason you should want the Jaguars to go all the way this year and years following, as well.
For football fans, this might be a dumb reason to want them to win. But if they didn’t want us to rally behind the mascot, why provide it in the first place? When you think of Jacksonville, there is not too much that comes to mind. When you think of a Jaguar, you immediately think of a viscous but beautiful predator. Whoever thought to put the two together is simply genius.
Stats aside (which I have conveniently left out of this argument), the Jaguars are simply the best pick. They have the storyline and the mascot and are already doing better than they normally do.
There are plenty of weeks left to switch teams. So, will you stay with that same old team you do every year? Or are you going to make the right choice and take a chance on the Jacksonville Jaguars?
Contact Olivia Schatz oschatz@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.