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Who's the Jaguars' kicker this week? It's been historic, wacky and wild

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Forget trying to figure out who the Jacksonville Jaguars’ starting quarterback will be this week. Have a go at guessing who the kicker will be.

What was supposed to be one of the Jaguars’ strengths in 2020 has instead turned into such a mess that coach Doug Marrone and special-teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis -- who has held that position in the NFL for six teams since 1993 -- are reeling.

“Thirty-three years and I think I’ve had 33 kickers this year, so it’s definitely a different, different feel,” DeCamillis said.

Not quite 33, but the Jaguars are definitely in historic territory: Six players have attempted a field goal or PAT for the Jaguars this season -- so far.

“I can’t remember anything like this,” Marrone said.

Nobody can, because it’s never been done in the modern NFL. Six players attempting a PAT or field goal in a single season is the most by an NFL team since the 1970 merger, per Elias Sports Bureau. The Jaguars also became the only team in NFL history to have a different player attempt a field goal or PAT in five straight weeks, also per Elias.

That was Weeks 2-6. The Jaguars elevated No. 5 from the practice squad early in the week before the home game against Detroit and a member of the media thought it would be fun to ask quarterback Gardner Minshew if he could name every kicker the team had used to that point.

Minshew didn’t even want to try. Can’t really blame him.

Some of the names you’ve heard before: Josh Lambo, Stephen Hauschka, Aldrick Rosas.

Others you most likely haven’t: Brandon Wright and Chase McLaughlin.

And one other you almost certainly haven’t, because he had never attempted a field goal or PAT in a game at any level of football: Jon Brown.

As of today, the Jaguars have just Rosas on their roster, as McLaughlin -- cut by the Jaguars on Saturday -- was claimed on waivers by the New York Jets. So the job falls, by default (we think), to Rosas for Sunday’s road game at Baltimore. Based on the way the season has gone, however, DeCamillis had better have somebody on speed dial.

A breakdown of a wild and erratic season for the Jaguars at kicker:

Week 1: Nothing to worry about, as Lambo is a solid veteran. Since signing with the Jaguars in 2017, he’s made 71 of 75 field goal attempts, including 10 of 11 from 50 yards or longer, and missed just four of his 64 PATs. He makes both of his field goal attempts and kicks three PATs in the Jaguars’ 27-20 upset of Indianapolis. It remains the Jaguars' only win of the season.

Week 2: Lambo kicks one field goal and makes 3-of-4 PATs, but he injures his hip during the loss at Tennessee.

Week 3: Lambo goes on IR on Wednesday and the team elevates Brandon Wright from the practice squad. Wright makes 1-of-2 PATs, but injures his groin in the loss to Miami.

Week 4: Wright is waived/injured on Monday and the Jaguars sign Hauschka to the active roster and Rosas (a Pro Bowler with the New York Giants in 2018) to the practice squad. However, Hauschka was dealing with knee soreness during the tryout and was unable to play against Cincinnati. Rosas plays in the loss to the Bengals, making 4 of 5 field goal attempts and his only PAT attempt, but injures his hip and groin.

Week 5: Rosas goes on practice squad IR and Hauschka plays against Houston. Not well, either. He misses a 24-yard attempt wide left and comes up short on a 49-yard attempt in the loss to the Texans.

Week 6: Hauschka is released the next day and Brown is elevated from the practice squad. Though he had never attempted a field goal or PAT at any level -- he was a soccer standout at Kentucky and a kickoff specialist at Louisville -- the Jaguars use him against Detroit. He makes a 31-yard field goal but misses a 32-yard attempt in the loss to the Lions.

Week 7: Hey, Lambo’s back! He comes off IR on Thursday (the Jags cut Brown the same day and sign him to the practice squad on Friday) and makes his only PAT attempt in the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Week 8: Bye week. Nobody gets hurt. Well, the QB is hurt, but that’s an entirely different timeline.

But! Rosas is suspended on Oct. 31 for four games for violating the league’s code of conduct policy stemming from an offseason hit-and-run crash in which he was charged with three misdemeanors. The Jaguars had released him from the practice squad a day earlier.

Week 9: Lambo makes two field goals but misses a PAT. He also reinjures his hip, this time on an onside kick at the end of the loss to Houston.

Week 10: Lambo goes back on IR (for the remainder of the season) on Monday and on Tuesday the team signs McLaughlin off Minnesota’s practice squad. The Jaguars also sign Rosas to the practice squad on Monday. He’s still serving his suspension. McLaughlin makes two field goals and two extra points in the loss in Green Bay.

Week 11: McLaughlin scores the Jaguars’ only points in a 27-3 home loss to Pittsburgh.

Week 12: Brown is released from the practice squad on Monday. On Tuesday, McLaughlin is placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and on Saturday the Jaguars call up Rosas from the practice squad. He makes 2-of-3 field goals -- including a 54-yarder -- in the home loss to Cleveland.

Week 13: McLaughlin comes off the reserve/COVID-19 list the day after the loss to the Browns and Rosas goes back down to the practice squad. McLaughlin makes 1 of 2 field goals and misses one of his two extra point attempts in an overtime loss to Minnesota.

Week 14: The day before the Jaguars’ home game against Tennessee, the Jaguars cut McLaughlin and bring up Rosas from the practice squad. He makes a 53-yard field goal and his only PAT in the loss to the Titans.

So, the final tally heading into Week 15: Jaguars kickers are a combined 17 of 24 on field goal attempts and 18 of 22 on PATs. Last year, the Jaguars (Lambo) were 33 of 34 and 19 of 20.

Got all that? If you’re exhausted reading it, imagine how DeCamillis feels. By the way, you don’t want to ask him if he laughs at the absurdity of the situation. Six kickers?

“No. I try not to go there,” DeCamillis said. “Don’t want to bring any bad karma or any other bad thoughts in there at all. Just try to be positive and hopefully we can keep going through the year and get through this thing.”