After scoring the AFC title game's opening touchdown, Jacksonville tight end Marcedes Lewis pointed to his wrist indicating this was the Jaguars’ time.
Not quite.
New England and 40-year-old quarterback Tom Brady weren't ready to cede their conference crown just yet. As the final seconds ticked off the Gillette Stadium scoreboard, it was Jacksonville's season that had come to an end with a 24-20 road loss.
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"Early in the year I said I thought this team could be special," Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said at his postgame news conference. “We fell short but hopefully we will start again and build on that characteristic of playing for each other. Hopefully, we can maintain that in our team."
It's not the only challenge that will be facing the Jaguars during the offseason.
Here are the three biggest personnel decisions Jacksonville must make heading into free agency.
1. What is the plan at quarterback?
The first step is determining whether to continue moving forward with Blake Bortles under center. Bortles showed significant improvement in his fourth NFL season and looks to have even more upside heading into the future.
But before committing to move ahead for at least one more year at a lofty $19.1-million salary, the Jaguars have to evaluate just how much better Bortles can become and whether there is a more appealing option that can realistically be obtained via trade or free agency. Bortles' base salary becomes guaranteed March 14 (the first day of the 2018 NFL calendar year) if he’s still on Jacksonville’s roster.
One wait-and-see scenario would be sticking with Bortles for one more year but targeting a quarterback in the early rounds to groom as a potential heir apparent.
In a quarterback-starved league, the Jags would be playing with fire if they rescinded the fifth-year option on Bortles’ rookie contract and let him test free agency with the option of re-signing what would presumably be a lesser deal should he find no other offers to his liking. If the Jags are all-in on Bortles, a multiyear contract could be in the offing.
"It’s been an awesome season," Bortles said after his solid 23-of-36, 293-yard outing against the Patriots. "I think it's been a lot of fun despite what happened today. It’s been a special ride to do this on an organization that hasn't done this in a really long time with a special group of guys.
"It's tough to try to enjoy it right now, but I’m sure that at some point we’ll be able to reflect and think about all the good things that happened. Find a way to fix it to make sure that we don’t feel like this at this point again."
2. What free agents should be re-signed?
At age 33, it wouldn't be surprising if linebacker Paul Posluszny retires now that he finally made his first career playoff appearance after 11 NFL seasons. Posluszny’s role on the Jags defense already was reduced this season with Myles Jack and Telvin Smith handling the linebacker responsibilities in Jacksonville’s nickel packages.
Another graybeard who could be gone is 32-year-old backup quarterback Chad Henne, who squandered his chance to win the starting spot from Bortles during the preseason. Two of the team's top wide receivers entering the season, Allen Robinson and Marquis Lee, also have expiring contracts. The emergence of rookies Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook could make either or both expendable.
Starting left guard Patrick Omameh and nickel cornerback Aaron Colvin are solid players that should have a strong free-agent market if allowed to test it.
The Jaguars have an estimated $25.8 million in 2018 salary cap space available but can create more room with contract restructures, extensions or player releases.
3. What areas need upgrading?
Besides the quarterback conundrum, the Jaguars are in great shape talent-wise across the board thanks to strong drafts, quality free-agent signings and smart cap management. The key to building off their breakout 2017 campaign will be another run of good health and using this season's success as a springboard rather than becoming complacent and being remembered as a one-year wonder.
"I think the funny thing is obviously a lot of people were surprised by what happened this year but nobody in that locker room was," Bortles said. "Our bar was set one week or two weeks from now and we didn’t get there.
"We’ll go back to the drawing board and figure it out. We fully expect to be back here again giving it another try next year."
Only time will tell.
Alex Marvez can be heard from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET Monday and 7-10 p.m. ET Tuesday on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
