The majority of these remarks centered on Jacksonville's tiny size in comparison to past Super Bowl host cities, as well as the city's scarcity of hotel space. To this day, Jacksonville is frequently recognized as one of the worst Super Bowl hosts ever, yet no one appears to be able to pinpoint a specific cause other than the hotel catastrophe.
The city's original plan was for half of the available hotels to be set aside for team officials and staff members, with the remaining rooms being made available to fans. However, once the February 2009 deadline passed without any teams filing complaints, the NFL allowed any franchise to move into one of the empty hotels, resulting in the creation of the JAGS suites at three different locations around the city.
The problem with this arrangement was that there weren't enough rooms for everyone who wanted to attend the game, causing prices to rise as fans were forced to share accommodations. In addition, many attendees were not aware of the fact that they would not be able to leave their room during certain times throughout the day as part of what was called the "blackout policy". This resulted in some people leaving Jacksonville early or canceling their trips all together.
The NFL has since changed its policy so that fans can leave and re-enter their rooms during the game, but it hasn't stopped people from criticizing Jacksonville still today.
The 1970 Baltimore Colts Super Bowl V between the Baltimore Colts and the Dallas Cowboys is widely regarded as the worst Super Bowl ever played due to the poor play of both teams. The eventual champion Colts turned the ball over seven times. They were outscored by a total of 48-7 in the game, which they lost 37-0. The worst loss in Super Bowl history was not suffered by a single player, but by an entire team. The 1942 Chicago Bears defense allowed 614 yards of offense (including 228 yards from scrimmage) in a 38-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The 1970 Baltimore Colts are also famous for being one of two teams to lose with zero touchdowns scored. The other team was the 1941 Detroit Lions. Both games ended in 0-0 ties after four quarters of play. The NFL decided to give each team a new title for these games: "No Score Wins." Neither team has ever been credited with a victory in this game.
In addition, both teams that lost with no scores scored were members of the American Football League. The AFL was established in 1946, three years before the founding of the NFL. The two leagues merged following their tenth season in 1969. The 1970 Baltimore Colts are therefore considered the first champions of the AFC (American Football Conference).
The only team with a worse record than the Baltimore Colts is the 1942 Chicago Bears.
After their early seasons, the Jaguars have been less successful, with only three playoff appearances and one division title since 2000. Jacksonville is one of four NFL teams, along with Detroit, Houston, and Cleveland, that have never competed in the Super Bowl. The other three are all former AFL teams.
The most recent season was 2017. The Jaguars finished with a 9-7 record and qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team. They defeated Pittsburgh 24-14 in the first round before losing to New England 41-37 in the second round.
In 1998, the franchise won its only Super Bowl title with quarterback Mark Brunell leading the way. The Jaguars defeated Tennessee Titans 26-19 after falling behind 17-0 in the first half. Brunell completed 21 of 33 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 76 yards and a score. He helped lead his team to the title after posting impressive statistics during the regular season (2280 yards passing, 10 touchdowns vs. five interceptions).
A native of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Brunell began his professional career with the Washington Redskins in 1997. That same year, he was selected by the Jaguars in the first round of the NFL draft. A graduate of Duke University, Brunell played three years for the Blue Devils before starting for the Jaguars.
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