The Jacksonville Jaguars had the Patriots up against the ropes in the AFC Championship Game this past January. They just couldn’t deliver the knockout blow.
And that isn’t sitting well with Jags wide receiver Marqise Lee, who acknowledged last week in an interview with NFL Media that he’s still thinking about Jacksonville’s 24-20 loss to New England.
“I’m not over that,” Lee said, according to a transcribed interview. “A lot of people felt like we should’ve won that (AFC title game). That’s a fact. No offense to the Patriots. They’re a great team, but we should’ve beat them. But we fell short. Next year is another opportunity to get back to it. It’s a lot of work, but I feel like we have the right team and pieces to get it going.”
The Patriots rallied from a 20-10 fourth-quarter deficit against the Jaguars, with Tom Brady delivering two touchdown passes to Danny Amendola in the closing minutes. New England fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 41-33 in Super Bowl LII two weeks later, while Jacksonville was left to wonder what could have been had it been able to finish the upset.
“We’re not discouraged at all,” Lee said, seemingly clarifying the Jaguars are ready to make another run in the AFC this season. “We know the type of team we have.”
Lee, a second-round draft pick in 2014, totaled a career-high 63 receptions for 851 yards with three touchdowns in 2016. He caught 56 passes for 702 yards with three TDs in 2017.
