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Remember when: 'Jagwads' pull off playoffs stunner over Broncos in 1997

scott butler, florida times-union
·4 min read
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https://youtu.be/-FJoMDrVhpA

As fans might finally have reason for some legitimate hope for the future of the Jacksonville Jaguars, let’s relive some glory from 25 seasons ago.

The day was Jan. 4, 1997. The game was the AFC divisional playoffs between the 10-7 Jaguars and the 13-3 Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium.

The expansion Jaguars were only in their second season in the NFL and had been gifted the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs when Atlanta Falcons kicker Morten Andersen missed a 30-yard game-winning field goal in the final seconds of their regular season contest. He had made 59 straight from 30 yards or closer. Then the upstart Jags pulled off their first playoff win, a 30-27 Wild Card upset of the Buffalo Bills on the road. It was quarterback Jim Kelly’s final season, and second-year offensive tackle Tony Boselli notably got the better of Defensive Player of the Year Bruce Smith.

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Andy Doyle, left, and brother Shannon Doyle cheer with other Jaguars fans as they watch the team beat the Denver Broncos on the Jacksonville stadium TV during the Jan. 4, 1997, playoff matchup.
Andy Doyle, left, and brother Shannon Doyle cheer with other Jaguars fans as they watch the team beat the Denver Broncos on the Jacksonville stadium TV during the Jan. 4, 1997, playoff matchup.

Next up was the vaunted Broncos led by quarterback John Elway and 14-point favorites.

Infamously it wasn’t a player who got things stirred up before the game, but a Denver Post columnist who provided the bulletin-board chatter. Woody Paige went so far as to write that the Jaguars belonged in the USFL or the World League. In one paragraph alone, he referred to them as the “Jagwads” not once or twice, but three times.

TU sports writer Pete Prisco penned, “Early on game day, word was spreading around the Jaguars’ hotel that [coach Tom] Coughlin was infuriated. How dare anyone mock his program?”

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Jacksonville Jaguars defensive ends Jeff Lageman, arm up, and Tony Brackens, right, apply pressure as Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway (partially obscured by #65) releases the ball during the Jan. 4, 1997, playoffs.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive ends Jeff Lageman, arm up, and Tony Brackens, right, apply pressure as Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway (partially obscured by #65) releases the ball during the Jan. 4, 1997, playoffs.

So the stage was set, and the Jags didn’t disappoint. Here’s some of Prisco’s game recap:

“After a first quarter dominated by the Broncos — in which they jumped to a 12-0 lead — the Jaguars were able to regroup. Jacksonville finished with 443 yards of total offense, scoring on six consecutive possessions. ... Using a three-deep coverage, the Jaguars were able to keep Elway in check — limiting him to 226 yards on 25 completions.”

Jacksonville Jaguars guard Rich Tylski protects quarterback Mark Brunell from an oncoming rush of Denver Broncos defenders during their Jan. 4, 1997, playoff game at Mile High Stadium in Colorado.
Jacksonville Jaguars guard Rich Tylski protects quarterback Mark Brunell from an oncoming rush of Denver Broncos defenders during their Jan. 4, 1997, playoff game at Mile High Stadium in Colorado.

Meanwhile, running back Natrone Means rumbled for 140 yards with a touchdown on 21 carries for the Jags, and QB Mark Brunell made some key throws completing 18 of 29 attempts for 245 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Receiver Keenan McCardell hauled in five passes for 59 yards and Jimmy Smith three for 71 yards, each with a TD.

And the final score: JAGUARS 30, DENVER 27, coincidentally the same as the Bills score.

Jaguars receiver Keenan McCardell celebrates Jacksonville's upset over the Broncos in the Jan. 4, 1997, playoff game in Denver.
Jaguars receiver Keenan McCardell celebrates Jacksonville's upset over the Broncos in the Jan. 4, 1997, playoff game in Denver.

What perhaps was even more cool, and what Brunell couldn't believe he was seeing when the team arrived home about 1:30 that morning, was the thousands of fans waiting to greet them.

"That was incredible," Brunell said at the time. "I don't know if there's any place in the country where you'd find that."

It also was one TU sports columnist Gene Frenette’s 10 football moments he wrote in 2020 that stand out from being there in person to document in his 40th year covering football here. He ranked the Broncos upset celebration No. 2 on his list.

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Jaguars fans cheer as they wait for the team to arrive at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium early Jan. 5, 1997, after the team beat the Denver Broncos in the playoffs.
Jaguars fans cheer as they wait for the team to arrive at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium early Jan. 5, 1997, after the team beat the Denver Broncos in the playoffs.

“Anyone who thinks the Jaguars’ ineptness the last decade means Jacksonville isn’t a viable NFL market presents a false narrative,” Frenette wrote. “When this team is winning, this city comes alive. There was no better evidence than being there post-midnight at TIAA Bank Field on Jan. 5, 1997, to watch nearly 40,000 fans turn out to greet the Jaguars after their historic 30-27 playoff upset of the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium. While I wasn’t in Denver to cover the game, the unbridled joy inside the Jaguars’ house at a ridiculously late hour was a sight to behold.”

Jaguars players, from left, with hands raised, Brian DeMarco, Leon Searcy and Michael Cheever acknowledge the thousands of fans who came to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium at 1:30 a.m. Sunday to greet the team after beating the Denver Broncos 30-27 in the playoffs on Jan. 4, 1997.
Jaguars players, from left, with hands raised, Brian DeMarco, Leon Searcy and Michael Cheever acknowledge the thousands of fans who came to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium at 1:30 a.m. Sunday to greet the team after beating the Denver Broncos 30-27 in the playoffs on Jan. 4, 1997.

The Jags’ improbable run came to end in New England with a 20-6 defeat in the AFC championship game. The Bill Parcells/Drew Bledsoe-led Patriots would go on to lose to Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre’s Green Bay Packers 35-21 in Super Bowl XXXI.

But thank you, Jaguars of old. And for the new men in teal, let’s see you again in the playoffs in the new year.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: NFL playoffs history: Jacksonville Jaguars upset Denver Broncos in 1997