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The most surprising team in the NFL playoffs this year is definitely the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not only are the Jags coming off a 2021 season where they finished last in the AFC South, but they also had the worst overall record in the NFL last year. 

In a span of just nine months, the Jaguars could go from holding the No. 1 overall pick to winning a playoff game, which is almost unheard of in the NFL. As matter of fact, if the Jaguars do pull off that feat, they'd become just the third team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to accomplish that, according to our CBS Sports Research team. 

Here's quick look at the only two teams to go from holding the top pick in the draft to winning a playoff game the following season: 

  • 1978 Oilers. Although the Jaguars' turnaround has been a total surprise, that wasn't the case for the Oilers. In 1977, the Oilers actually finished with an 8-6 record, which set them up with the 17th overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft. However, they ended up getting the first overall pick after making a monstrous trade with the Buccaneers (The Oilers gave up three picks and a player). After acquiring the top pick, the Oilers then hit a home run with it by drafting future Hall of Famer Earl Campbell. With Campbell in tow, the Oilers finished 10-6 in 1978 and made it all the way to the AFC title game before losing to a Steelers team that would go on to win the Super Bowl. 
  • 1991 Cowboys. Like the Oilers, the Cowboys also traded up to get the No. 1 overall pick. After finishing 7-9 in 1990, the Cowboys earned the 11th overall pick. The Cowboys then traded the 11th pick and the 41st overall pick -- along with three players -- to the Patriots for the first overall pick. The Cowboys then used the top pick on Russell Maryland, who finished second on the team in 1991 with 4.5 sacks. The 1991 Cowboys beat the Bears in the wild-card round before losing to the Lions in the divisional round (Fun fact: That was the last time the Lions won a playoff game). 

What this shows you is that what the Jaguars are doing right now is unprecedented. Although the Oilers and Cowboys both won a playoff game after getting the No. 1 pick, the Jags could become the first team to earn the No. 1 overall pick by having the worst record in the NFL and then winning a playoff game the following season. 

The Jags have already made history once this year and it won't be surprising if they do it again. 

So what was the history they already made? With their playoff berth, the Jaguars became just the third team in NFL history to make the postseason after starting the year 2-6. A total of 189 teams have started the season with that record, but only three -- the 1970 Bengals and the 2020 Commanders, 2022 Jaguars -- rebounded to make the playoffs. That's just 1.6%. 

Doug Pederson's first season in Jacksonville looked like it was going to turn into a nightmare after a loss to DENVER in Week 8 dropped them to 2-6, but now, this team is living the dream and getting ready to host a playoff game for just the second time since 2000.