1997 Jacksonville Jaguars season

Last updated

1997 Jacksonville Jaguars season
Head coach Tom Coughlin
Home field Alltel Stadium
Results
Record11–5
Division place2nd AFC Central
Playoff finishLost Wild Card Playoffs
(at Broncos) 17–42
Pro Bowlers T Tony Boselli
QB Mark Brunell
WR Jimmy Smith
P Bryan Barker
K Mike Hollis
Uniform
AFCS-1997-Uniform-JAX.PNG

The 1997 season was the Jacksonville Jaguars' 3rd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 3rd season under the leadership of general manager and head coach Tom Coughlin. The team looked to reach the AFC Championship for the second straight year following a surprising run in 1996. The Jaguars improved upon their previous 9-7 record and won 11 games. They made the playoffs as a wild card team, playing the Denver Broncos on the road for the second straight year. This time they lost to the Broncos 42–17, bringing the Jaguars’ season to an end.

Contents

The team also made several changes to the uniforms. They changed the numbers to new font style numbers and added black side panels to the uniforms. During the offseason, the team had changed the font style numbers on the jerseys to a skinnier style with a black drop shadow in the back of the numbers. During the team's 1997 preseason games there were several complaints that the announcers and the viewers had a hard time recognizing the numbers on the players, so the team decided to make the jersey numbers wider and removed the drop shadow numbers by the beginning of the regular season.

Offseason

NFL draft

1997 Jacksonville Jaguars draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
121 Renaldo Wynn   Defensive tackle Notre Dame
250 Mike Logan   Cornerback West Virginia
379 James Hamilton   Linebacker North Carolina
4114 Seth Payne   Defensive tackle Cornell
5147 Damon Jones   Tight end Southern Illinois
6184 Daimon Shelton   Running back Sacramento State
7221 Jon Hesse   Linebacker Nebraska
      Made roster        Pro Football Hall of Fame     *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

1997 Undrafted free agents of note
PlayerPositionCollege
Curtis Anderson Cornerback Pittsburgh
Jamie BaisleyLinerbacker Indiana
Isaac CurtisTight end Kentucky
Kevin Devine Cornerback California
Todd Fordham Tackle Florida State
Lance FunderburkQuarterback Valdosta State
James KiddWide receiver Colorado
Jabbar Threats Defensive end Michigan State

Staff

1997 Jacksonville Jaguars staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams coordinator – Larry Pasquale
  • Assistant special teams – Joe Baker

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Jerry Palmieri
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Jeff Hurd


Final roster

1997 Jacksonville Jaguars roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 6 reserve, 4 practice squad

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordStadium
1August 3 Carolina Panthers W 23–91–0 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
2August 9at New York Giants W 38–102–0 Giants Stadium
3August 18at San Francisco 49ers W 28–203–0 3Com Park
4August 22at Atlanta Falcons W 26–174–0Jacksonville Municipal Stadium

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
1August 31at Baltimore Ravens W 28–271–0 Memorial Stadium 61,018
2September 7 New York Giants W 40–132–0 Alltel Stadium 70,581
3Bye
4September 22 Pittsburgh Steelers W 30–213–0Alltel Stadium73,016
5September 28at Washington Redskins L 12–243–1 Jack Kent Cooke Stadium 74,421
6October 5 Cincinnati Bengals W 21–134–1Alltel Stadium67,128
7October 12 Philadelphia Eagles W 38–215–1Alltel Stadium69,150
8October 19at Dallas Cowboys L 22–265–2 Texas Stadium 64,464
9October 26at Pittsburgh Steelers L 17–23 (OT)5–3 Three Rivers Stadium 57,011
10November 2at Tennessee Oilers W 30–246–3 Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium 27,208
11November 9 Kansas City Chiefs W 24–107–3Alltel Stadium70,444
12November 16 Tennessee Oilers W 17–98–3Alltel Stadium70,070
13November 23at Cincinnati Bengals L 26–318–4 Cinergy Field 55,158
14November 30 Baltimore Ravens W 29–279–4Alltel Stadium63,712
15December 7 New England Patriots L 20–269–5Alltel Stadium73,446
16December 14at Buffalo Bills W 20–1410–5 Rich Stadium 41,231
17December 21at Oakland Raiders W 20–911–5 Oakland Coliseum 40,032

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Baltimore Ravens

Week One: Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Jaguars1770731
Ravens0177327

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: August 31, 1997
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 84 °F (29 °C)
  • Game attendance: 61,018
  • Referee: Dale Hamer
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 2: vs. New York Giants

Week Two: New York Giants at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Giants706013
Jaguars02031740

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: September 7, 1997
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 85 °F (29 °C)
  • Game attendance: 70,581
  • Referee: Dick Hantak
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Four: Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Steelers707721
Jaguars71031030

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: September 22
  • Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Clear, 78 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,016
  • Referee: Gerry Austin
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 5: at Washington Redskins

Week Five: Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Jaguars633012
Redskins01401024

at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: September 28, 1997
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy and cool, 62 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 74,421
  • Referee: Bill Carollo
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 6: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week Six: Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Bengals076013
Jaguars707721

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: October 5, 1997
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 83 °F (28 °C)
  • Game attendance: 67,128
  • Referee: Tom White
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 7: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week Seven: Philadelphia Eagles at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Eagles0701421
Jaguars21071038

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: October 12, 1997
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C)
  • Game attendance: 69,150
  • Recap
Game information

Week 8: at Dallas Cowboys

Week Eight: Jacksonville Jaguars at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Jaguars707822
Redskins3106726

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

  • Date: October 19, 1997
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Clear skies, 72 °F (22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,464
  • Referee: Mike Carey
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 9: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Nine: Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter1234OTTotal
Jaguars01007017
Steelers00710623

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: October 26, 1997
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 57,011
  • Recap
Game information

Week 10: at Tennessee Oilers

Week Ten: Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Oilers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Jaguars1773330
Oilers737724

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

  • Date: November 2, 1997
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 27,208
  • Recap
Game information

Week 11: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Eleven: Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs030710
Jaguars7170024

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: November 7, 1997
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 70,444
  • Referee: Jerry Markbreit
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 12: vs. Tennessee Oilers

Week Twelve: Tennessee Oilers at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Oilers03069
Jaguars077317

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: November 16, 1997
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 70,070
  • Recap
Game information

Week 13: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Thirteen: Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Jaguars7313326
Bengals2173031

at Cinergy Field, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: November 23, 1997
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 55,158
  • Recap
Game information

Week 14: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week Fourteen: Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Ravens7701327
Jaguars31331029

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: November 30, 1997
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,712
  • Recap
Game information

Week 15: vs. New England Patriots

Week Fifteen: New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Patriots1373326
Jaguars0701320

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: December 7, 1997
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,446
  • Recap
Game information

Week 16: at Buffalo Bills

Week Sixteen: Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Jaguars773320
Bills0301114

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: December 14, 1997
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 30 °F (−1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 41,231
  • Recap
Game information

Week 17: at Oakland Raiders

Week Seventeen: Jacksonville Jaguars at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Jaguars1400620
Raiders03609

at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: December 21, 1997
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C)
  • Game attendance: 40,032
  • Recap
Game information

Standings

AFC Central
WLTPCTPFPASTK
(2) Pittsburgh Steelers 1150.688372307L1
(5) Jacksonville Jaguars 1150.688394318W2
Tennessee Oilers 880.500333310W1
Cincinnati Bengals 790.438355405W3
Baltimore Ravens 691.406326345L1

Postseason

Schedule

RoundDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
Wild CardDecember 27, 1997at Denver Broncos (4)L 17–420–1 Mile High Stadium 74,481

Game summaries

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (4) Denver Broncos

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: (5) Jacksonville Jaguars at (4) Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Jaguars0710017
Broncos14702142

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: December 27, 1997
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C)
  • Game attendance: 74,481
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

After upsetting the Broncos in the playoffs in the previous year, the Jaguars fell short in the re-match. John Elway lead the Broncos to a 42–17 win over the visiting Jaguars, throwing for 223 yards and a touchdown. Mark Brunell was 18 for 32 for 203 yards, but had no touchdowns on top of an interception. Similar to the year before when the Broncos could not stop Natrone Means and the Jaguars running game, the Jaguars struggled all game to contain the Broncos running attack. Terrell Davis carried 31 times for 184 yards and two touchdowns. Nonetheless, the game was close throughout, as the Broncos led by only 21-17 late in the third quarter. But the Broncos would score 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, ending the Jaguars season.

Awards and records

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN   0-7611-2480-2, p. 52