From worst in the league to first in their division, the @Jaguars are playoff bound once again.
With a new head coach and a star second-year QB, Jacksonville finished the regular season on a 5-game winning streak. Let’s recap a redemption season in #DUUUVAL. THREAD 🧵
In the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Jags selected Georgia’s standout LB, Travon Walker.
@44Ytw made an immediate impact, nabbing a crucial interception against Carson Wentz and the Commanders in his first NFL game.
From the start of the season, it was clear the Jaguars had made improvements defensively. Through the first four weeks, Trayvon Walker was second on the defense in pressures generated. LB Devin Lloyd was tied for the team lead in tackles.
Things got a bit rocky midseason, as a 5-game losing streak brought things to a halt.
A crucial Week 14 game against the Titans marked a turning point. Lawrence passed for 368 yards and scored a rushing TD late in the 3rd quarter to seal the Jags win.
The Jags came into Week 15 as underdogs against the Cowboys. But the team from Duval County had a lot to prove.
Lawrence threw 4 TDs, while Zay Jones exploded with 108 yards receiving and 3 TDs. The game went to OT and the Jags D won it on a pick-6.
That victory sparked a late-season win streak. In the final minutes of the regular season, the Jags’ defense came through once again.
Rayshawn Jenkins forced a fumble on the Titans which Josh Allen ran in for a TD. The Jaguars were division champs.
It would’ve been easy to write off the Jaguars, but this team defied expectation time and again in 2022. Is this the year the team makes it all the way to the big game?
📺: #LACvsJAX — Tomorrow 8:15pm ET on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+
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The #WPMOY Award is the most prestigious honor in the NFL, given to a player that exemplifies greatness on and off the field.
But to understand the significance of this achievement, it's important to the know the man who the award was named after. 🧵
Walter Payton was born on July 25th, 1954, in Columbia, Mississippi. As a child, he was involved with his church and Boy Scouts, which shaped his strong character.
He did not play football until his junior year of high school, not wanting to compete with his brother Eddie.
Once Eddie graduated, Walter agreed to play on the team and immediately became a star. During his senior year, his all-Black school integrated, and Payton’s athletic performance and sheer determination helped ease the tension around desegregation in his community.
On Saturday, the @Lions and @Broncos meet for the first time since 2021. Both teams are top 2 in their respective divisions and vying for playoff spots.
But there’s an added layer of competitiveness between these clubs’ HCs.🧵
Dan Campbell and @SeanPayton have known each other for nearly 25 years, and this is the first time they’ll meet as head coaches.
Their friendship began when TE Dan Campbell was drafted in 1999 by the @Giants, where Payton was a QB coach.
When @SeanPayton moved to Dallas to become the @dallascowboys assistant HC, Campbell was one of the first free agents to sign with Dallas. He was there for 3 years before signing with Detroit.
Born in the Republic of Gambia, Ali Gaye’s journey to the NFL Draft has been anything but ordinary. 🇬🇲
(THREAD 🧵⬇️)
LSU edge prospect Ali Gaye grew up in The Gambia, Africa’s smallest mainland country, and immigrated to the United States when he was 12. Gaye, along with his parents and two siblings, settled in Lynwood, Washington.
As a kid, Ali Gaye’s favorite sport was soccer. When he adjusted to American culture, Gaye turned to football in 8th grade at the age of 14. He had the footwork with his soccer background and developed as a three-star recruit coming out of Edmonds Woodway High School.