The 1996 season was the Jacksonville Jaguars' 2nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their second season under the leadership of general manager and head coach Tom Coughlin. The Jaguars improved 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 five interceptions, which were blamed on Rison and resulted in his benching. 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. 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. The victory against the Bills was notable because the Bills roster was made up of many of the same players that had been to four Super Bowls in the decade, including eventual Hall of Fame players Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, and Bruce Smith (who had previously been the league Defensive Player of the Year).Prisco, Pete The 1996 Jaguars: An oral history CBS Sports. January 27, 2016 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. They largely dominated from the second quarter onward. 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.
Offseason Additions SubtractionsDT John Jurkovic (Packers) WR Desmond Howard (Packers)LB Eddie Robinson (Oilers) QB Steve Beuerlein (Panthers)RB Natrone Means (Chargers) LB Keith Goganious (Ravens)WR Keenan McCardell (Browns) T Bruce Wilkerson (Packers)DE Clyde Simmons (Cardinals) S Darren Carrington (Raiders)
NFL draft
Undrafted free agents + 1996 Undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeOmari MangrumTackleIndiana StateChris ParkerRunning backMarshallSteve TaneyhillQuarterbackSouth CarolinaPatrick WalshTackleUConn
Staff
Final roster
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Stadium 1 New York Giants L 17–24 0–1 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium 2 at St. Louis Rams L 10–17 0–2 Trans World Dome 3 San Francisco 49ers W 38–10 1–2 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium 4 at Denver Broncos W 31–24 2–2 Mile High Stadium
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 1 Pittsburgh Steelers W 24–9 1–0 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium 70,210 2 September 8 Houston Oilers L 27–34 1–1 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium 66,468 3 September 15 at Oakland Raiders L 3–17 1–2 Oakland Coliseum 46,291 4 September 22 at New England Patriots L 25–28 1–3 Foxboro Stadium 59,446 5 September 29 Carolina Panthers W 24–14 2–3 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium 71,537 6 October 6 at New Orleans Saints L 13–17 2–4 Louisiana Superdome 34,231 7 October 13 New York Jets W 21–17 3–4 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium 65,699 8 October 20 at St. Louis Rams L 14–17 3–5 Trans World Dome 60,066 9 October 27 at Cincinnati Bengals L 21–28 3–6 Cinergy Field 45,890 10 Bye 11 November 10 Baltimore Ravens W 30–27 4–6 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium 64,628 12 November 17 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 3–28 4–7 Three Rivers Stadium 57,879 13 November 24 at Baltimore Ravens W 28–25 5–7 Memorial Stadium 57,384 14 December 1 Cincinnati Bengals W 30–27 6–7 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium 57,408 15 December 8 at Houston Oilers W 23–17 7–7 Houston Astrodome 20,196 16 December 15 Seattle Seahawks W 20–13 8–7 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium 66,134 17 December 22 Atlanta Falcons W 19–17 9–7 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium 71,449
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 2: vs. Houston Oilers
Week 3: at Oakland Raiders
Week 4: at New England Patriots
Week 5: vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 6: at New Orleans Saints
Week 7: vs. New York Jets
Week 8: at St. Louis Rams
Week 9: at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 11: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 12: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 13: at Baltimore Ravens
Week 14: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 15: at Houston Oilers
Week 16: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Week 17: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Standings
Postseason
Schedule Round Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Wild Card at Buffalo Bills (4) W 30–27 1–0 Rich Stadium 70,213 Divisional at Denver Broncos (1) W 30–27 2–0 Mile High Stadium 75,678 AFC Championship at New England Patriots (2) L 6–20 2–1 Foxboro Stadium 60,190
Game summaries
AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs (4) Buffalo Bills
AFC Divisional Playoffs: vs (1) Denver Broncos
Considered one of the greatest upsets in NFL playoff history, the Jaguars (who were 14 point underdogs, and initially fell behind 12–0 in the first quarter, but led 13–12 at halftime) would stun the Broncos 30–27. Earlier in the day, Denver Post sports columnist Woody Paige referred to the Jaguars as the “Jagwads”, stating throughout the article that the Jaguars weren't worthy to travel to Mile High Stadium and play the Broncos. The Broncos had indeed been dominant during the regular season, going 13–3. The Broncos opted to rest most of their starters for the better part of the final month of the season, as they had secured the number one seed in the AFC Playoffs relatively early on in the regular season. Conversely, the Jaguars had battled their way into a Wild Card spot; and coming off of their upset road victory in Buffalo, were only further motivated by the general lack of faith in their chances. Mark Brunell threw for 245 yards with no interceptions, and two touchdowns, including a diving effort on third down by wide receiver Jimmy Smith with 3:49 left in the fourth quarter to put Jacksonville up 30–20. It was Natrone Means, however that was the star of the game. He ran for 140 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown, and subsequently relieved the pressure on Brunell and the Jaguars passing game. The Broncos would struggle all game to contain Means, whose longest run of the day was 21 yards. With this win, the Jaguars would go to the AFC Championship Game in just the second year of their existence.
AFC Championship: vs (2) New England Patriots
Awards and records Mark Brunell, franchise record, most passing yards in one game, 432 yards (Sept 22, 1996)NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 52 Mark Brunell, franchise record, most passing yards in one season, 4,367 yards Mark Brunell, led NFL passing yards, 4,367 yardsNFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 438 Mark Brunell, Pro Bowl MVP AwardNFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 202 Mike Hollis, franchise record, most field goals in one game, 5 field goals (December 1, 1996) Keenan McCardell, franchise record, most receptions in one game, 16 receptions (Oct 20, 1996)
Milestones Keenan McCardell, 1,000 yard receiving season (1,129 yards)NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 440 Jimmy Smith, 1,000 yard receiving season (1,244 yards)
References
Jaguars on Pro Football Reference