The Jacksonville Jaguars are 8-3 heading into Week 13, their best record through 13 weeks since 1999. This week, they will face the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.
It’s been a long time since the Jaguars were given the spotlight on a Monday. The question is, just how long? When was the last time the Jaguars played on Monday Night Football?
When Did the Jacksonville Jaguars Last Play on Monday Night Football?
The last time the Jaguars played on Monday Night Football was 12 years ago, on Dec. 5, 2011. They faced the San Diego Chargers, where they lost 38-14.
The Jaguars have played in 15 MNF games since their inception in 1995, with all of them occurring between 1997 and 2011. In those 15 games, they’re 8-7. Their most recent win also came in 2011, when they defeated the Baltimore Ravens 12-7 on Oct. 24, 2011.
Monday Night Football promo (2011)
Chargers vs Jaguars
Week 13 pic.twitter.com/sxumNfcdqA— Vintage NFL (@NFL_vintage) January 18, 2023
The 2011 NFL season was one to forget for Jacksonville, as they went 5-11 on the season. Heading into Monday Night Football and led by QB Blaine Gabbert, the Jaguars were 3-8. Gabbert had just been taken 10th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he passed for 2,214 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
The week prior to the game, a lot had happened for the Jaguars. On Nov. 24, the Jaguars fired head coach Jack Del Rio and extended general manager Gene Smith. Smith was later fired on Dec. 31, 2012.
In the same press conference where those two moves were announced, then-owner Wayne Weaver, who had owned the team since its inception, announced he sold the team to now-owner Shad Khan.
Del Rio was the Jaguars’ coach from 2003 to 2011, where he finished with a 69-73 record during his tenure. He replaced his predecessor, Tom Coughlin, who had led the Jaguars to a 72-64 record over eight seasons and led Jacksonville to the AFC title game twice (1996, 1999).
MORE: How Many People Have Won a Super Bowl as a Player and Head Coach?
In 2011, the Jaguars’ leading rusher was Maurice Jones-Drew, who ran for 1,606 yards and eight touchdowns on 343 carries. He also caught 43 passes for 374 yards and three more touchdowns. Jacksonville’s leading receiver, however, was tight end Marcedes Lewis, who had 39 receptions for 460 yards and no touchdowns.
With the 11th-ranked defense in points allowed and sixth in yards allowed, the Jaguars’ defense was a bright spot. The major defensive improvement was thanks to a multitude of offseason acquisitions, which included Dwight Lowery, Dawan Landry, and Drew Coleman in the secondary, linebackers Clint Session and Paul Posluszny, and defensive linemen Matt Roth and John Chick.
Looking at present day here in 2023, the Jaguars will face the Bengals on MNF, who sit at 5-6 on the season. Cincinnati has lost three in a row, majorly due to the loss of quarterback Joe Burrow.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!