2011 Jacksonville Jaguars

The  Jacksonville Jaguars season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League and the 9th under head coach Jack Del Rio, who was fired on November 29 and replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. The team had hoped to improve on their 8–8 record from 2010, but exceeded their loss total in Week 13, and were officially eliminated from postseason contention. With the 10th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, they selected quarterback Blaine Gabbert from the University of Missouri, and Gabbert would replace Luke McCown as the starting quarterback in Week 3.

The 2011 season saw a dramatic increase in production from the Jaguars defense. This was due in part to off-season acquisitions Dwight Lowery, Dawan Landry, and Drew Coleman in the secondary; linebackers Clint Session and Paul Posluszny; and defensive linemen Matt Roth and John Chick. The development of players such as Terrance Knighton, Tyson Alualu, and Jeremy Mincey also helped improve the pass rush. Even after suffering a multitude of injuries, the Jaguars defense managed to finish with the 6th ranked overall defense in the NFL. (The team had finished 28th overall in 2010.)

2011 NFL Draft

 * undefined The Jaguars acquired this first-round selection in a trade that sent a 2011 first-round and a second-round selection to the Washington Redskins.
 * undefined The Jaguars acquired this third-round selection in a trade that sent a 2011 third-round and a sixth-round selection to the San Francisco 49ers.
 * undefined The Jaguars acquired this fourth-round selection in a trade that sent a 2010 fifth-round selection to the New Orleans Saints.
 * The Jaguars traded their seventh-round selection to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for G Justin Smiley.

Schedule
The Jaguars' preseason schedule was announced on April 12, 2011.

Week 13: vs. San Diego Chargers
Trying to snap a two-game losing streak, the Jaguars stayed at home for a Week 13 Monday night duel with the San Diego Chargers. Jacksonville trailed early in the first quarter with Chargers running back Mike Tolbert getting a 13-yard touchdown run, followed by kicker Nick Novak making a 29-yard field goal. The Jaguars answered in the second quarter with rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert finding running back Maurice Jones-Drew on a 9-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 5-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Cecil Shorts, but San Diego came right back with quarterback Philip Rivers completing a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vincent Brown and a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson.

The Chargers added onto their lead in the third quarter with Rivers completing a 52-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Malcom Floyd. Afterwards, San Diego would pull away with running back Ryan Matthews getting a 31-yard touchdown run.

With the loss, the Jaguars fell to 3-9, and were officially eliminated from postseason contention.

Awards and records

 * Maurice Jones-Drew, Franchise Record, Most Rushing Yards in One Season (1,606).
 * Maurice Jones-Drew, 2011 NFL Rushing Yards Leader.