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'Hit with the injury bug': Jaguars WR Christian Kirk details second season in Jacksonville
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- 'Hit with the injury bug': Jaguars WR Christian Kirk details second season in Jacksonville
During the first quarter of the Jacksonville Jaguars' Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals , wide receiver Christian Kirk went down with a core muscle injury.
At the time, the impact of Kirk's injury wasn't immediately understood. It would soon be realized.
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The team went on to lose five of its finals six games as Kirk was placed on the injured reserve list, missing the remainder of the season. Jacksonville was 8-3 at the time of his injury with a chance to secure the top seed in the AFC.
What would happen in the following weeks can only be described as a collapse, but Kirk doesn't correlate his injury to the reason the season went off the rails.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) lies on the turf after an apparent injury that knocked him out of the game during the first quarter of a regular season NFL football matchup Monday, Dec. 4, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
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"We kind of got hit with the injury bug in other places as well, we just weren't able to bounce back from it," he said during Jacksonville's locker room cleanout. "Football is never about one person. It's about all 11 on both sides of the ball coming together and being at their best.
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"We unfortunately were unable to do that."
Kirk's second season in Jacksonville was a 'humbling' experience
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) hands off to wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) during day 2 of the Jaguars Training Camp Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at the Knight Sports Complex at Episcopal School of Jacksonville.
As one of the marquee signings of the 2022 free agency class, Kirk recorded career highs during his first season in Jacksonville. He set the bar in targets, receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns and games started last year.
And he was projected to be on par — or potentially better — in most categories this season before his injury.
"It was humbling for us. I think for the core and the foundational pieces that are in this organization, it just opens our eyes to where we're at," Kirk said. "None of us are going to sit here and be obviously content with where we're at. We all know that there's a long way for us to go and we're just we're not there yet to being a championship team."
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) reacts to a reception during the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-3. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
His final statistics through 12 games played still stack up better than any of his first three years as a member of the Arizona Cardinals . He recorded 57 catches for 787 yards and three touchdowns while being a safety blanket for quarterback Trevor Lawrence .
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He contributed one of his most memorable plays as a Jaguar when he scored a 44-yard touchdown reception against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football — racing past several defenders to deliver the game-winner.
But still, Kirk's eyes are set on bigger accomplishments and this season revealed the team has work to do to get to those goals.
"As long as I'm here, I'm not settling for mediocrity and not making the playoffs," he said. "We came here to win championships and we're just not there yet."
Still has faith in Lawrence, Pederson's scheme after disappointing year
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) is all smiles as he runs off the field with teammates running back James Robinson (25) and quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) after Kirk's first quarter touchdown. The Jaguars went into the first half with a 17 to 0 lead over the Colts. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Indianapolis Colts at TIAA Bank field in Jacksonville, FL Sunday, September 18, 2022. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
When asked if he thought this season stunted Lawrence's growth, Kirk defended the third-year quarterback.
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"Let's not forget who he is. [The] number one overall pick and has been one of the best at that position for a long time," he said.
Lawrence dealt with his own injury bouts this season. He turned the ball over 21 times, which is the same number of passing touchdowns he had.
But when he was on, and feeling healthy, he showed the elite skill he possesses.
There was a stretch of games before his injury against Cincinnati where he passed for 884 yards and was responsible for nine touchdowns with only one interception.
When asked if he still had belief in head coach Doug Pederson's scheme, Kirk was quick to answer yes but did explain his perspective on some of the team's offensive struggles down the stretch.
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According to the veteran wideout, the players didn't do the best job of setting themselves up well. He mentioned pre-snap penalties, drops, holding calls that negated plays, and even interceptions as some of the culprits.
It's an answer that's in line with what Pederson said at his end-of-the-year press conference .
Still, for the way the season ended, Kirk couldn't point to a singular reason why the team couldn't get off the losing streak. He likened it to last year, the way the team went on a winning streak, just in inverse.
"I think there was too much expectation of you know, 'Oh, we're gonna figure it out or it's going to happen,'" he said. "It's hard in football to just be able to pinpoint on one certain thing, this is the reason why we started winning games, or this is the reason why we started losing games."
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Juston Lewis is a Jacksonville Jaguars beat reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on the website formerly known as Twitter at @JustonLewis_ .
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars WR Christian Kirk on Lawrence: 'Let's not forget who he is'
