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Dawuane Smoot Weighs In on How Jaguars’ 2023 ‘Just Kind of Got off the Rails a Little Bit’

Originally posted on FanNation Jaguar Report
By John Shipley | Last updated 1/11/24

All members of the Jacksonville Jaguars' organization are likely doing a bit of soul-searching this week. That is what happens when you collapse the way they did.

After starting the season 8-3 and fresh off a massive road win vs. the Houston Texans, the Jaguars fell apart down the stretch. They finished 1-5 in their final six games and blew a two-game lead in the AFC South, leading to a 28-20 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 18 that knocked them out of the playoffs.

For veteran defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot, there were no clear answers for the way the Jaguars failed to come together. For him, things simply got away from them.

"Things just kinda got off the rails a little bit for us, and we tried to get back our focus, get back to what we do best... it just sucks the way it ended."

ICYMI: #Jaguars OLB Dawuane Smoot joined @nflnetwork yesterday to discuss 2023 + his #WPMOY nomination pic.twitter.com/ZTyhqKXANY
— 1010 XL / 92.5 FM (@1010XL) January 11, 2024

"Back five, six weeks ago, things just kind of got off the rails a little bit for us and we tried to, you know, get back our focus, get back to what we do best and that's playing Jacksonville football, you know, playing good defense, you know, making sure we're not turning the ball over and, you know, doing the right things on the field," Smoot said.

"So, I mean, it just sucked the way to ended. Can't really explain necessarily what happened, when it happened, anything like that. It's just, it just sucks that we're in this place now. I mean, we definitely wanted to be playing on Sunday for sure."

For the 2023 Jaguars, unfulfilled potential seems to be the theme. The Jaguars were expected to have one of the NFL's best offenses and even contend for the AFC's No. 1 seed. Instead, the Jaguars finished in second-place behind a rookie quarterback and head coach and are facing tough questions this offseason.

"Honestly, I don't know. I mean, we're in the NFL, and we're here for a reason. We're all capable of making plays. We're all capable of coming together and winning games and we didn't do that today," Jaguars tight end Evan Engram said on Sunday.

"We were 8-3 at one point and we didn’t do it. We just didn't do it. Just didn't do what we're capable of doing. The potential of the team, we didn't fulfill it."

This article first appeared on FanNation Jaguar Report and was syndicated with permission.

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