In nearly every NFL season, one team comes out of nowhere to make the playoffs.
The leading candidate for that role in the 2016 campaign is the Jacksonville Jaguars. This club has not had a winning record since the 2007 season and lost its Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, yet there are many factors pointing toward the Jaguars having a roster that can keep up with just about any team in the league this season.
The Jaguars have ...
One of the NFL's most prolific downfield passers
Blake Bortles has yet to receive his due as one of the NFL's best downfield passers. In the 2015 season, Bortles ranked second in vertical attempts (233 aerials traveling 11 or more yards downfield) and tied for second in vertical pass touchdowns (21). He did even better at the stretch vertical route depth level (attempts thrown 20 or more yards downfield) by leading the league in stretch vertical attempts (87) and finishing fourth in yards per attempt (YPA) on those throws (15.4). (Note: the metrics here and below include attempts and yards on pass penalty plays such as pass interference and defensive holding.)
Those downfield numbers were a dramatic improvement over Bortles' rookie season performance in 2014. He ranked 37th out of 38 qualifying quarterbacks in stretch vertical YPA that season (9.3) and placed last in vertical YPA (8.1).