RB Maurice Jones-Drew held out and then had his season shortened by injury. (US Presswire)

In the midst of a 2-14 campaign, there clearly were more lowlights than highlights for the 2012 Jaguars. They pulled out a couple of wins and had some other close calls, though. 

Highlights: 

  • Shorts helps stun the Colts  -- In Week 3, the Jaguars looked to be heading for their third consecutive loss. The Colts had just kicked a FG to take a 17-16 lead with 56 seconds remaining. That's when WR Cecil Shorts stepped up. He grabbed a perfectly thrown ball from QB Blaine Gabbert and sprinted for an 80-yard TD reception. The Colts caught him just as he reached the end zone, but he stretched the ball out to secure the score. The Colts were known for their comebacks this year, but on this day, it was the Jags that came away with the 22-17 win. 

     
  • Jags knock off the Titans -- When there are only two victories in a season, each one counts as a highlight. Tennessee came into this game at 5-7 and desperate to stay alive in the playoff hunt. Its chances at the postseason essentially ended in Jacksonville. Shorts had another big day (4 receptions, 105 yards, TD) and QB Chad Henne threw for 261 yards and two TDs in the 24-19 win.

     
  • Close calls against top teams -- The Jags came extremely close to knocking off some of the best teams in the NFL -- Houston, Green Bay and New England. Jacksonville was within a score of each of those teams in the closing minutes of the game. A 43-37 overtime loss at Houston was the closest the Jags came to pulling off a huge upset. It took a last-minute score from the Texans to even force overtime in what was almost one of the biggest upsets of the season.

Lowlights: 

  • The seven-game losing streak -- The hope from the win over the Colts faded away after a seven-game losing streak knocked the Jags out of playoff contention. It was an extremely frustrating stretch for Jacksonville fans. The Jags seemed to alternate strong performances that ended up in close losses with games where they seemed to not even show up.

     
  • Crushed 41-3 by Chicago at home -- The Jags appeared to be ready to compete with the Bears in this contest. They had it tied 3-3 at halftime, but that's when it all fell apart. The Bears scored 38 points in the second half on their way to a dominating victory that had many fans streaming for the exits early. Chicago piled up 501 yards of total offense in the easy victory.

     
  • Holdouts and injuries pile up -- It felt like an ominous start to the season when star RB Maurice-Jones Drew held out all of training camp. Rookie WR Justin Blackmon also missed a few weeks in training camp while he tried to finish up his deal. MJD ended up missing the final 10 weeks of the season with a foot injury. QB Blaine Gabbert (arm) missed the last six weeks. WRs Laurent Robinson and Shorts both dealt with concussions. By the end of the season, the Jags were down to their fifth starting RB and had 21 total players on injured reserve.

Get more Jaguars updates and analysis from Daniel Lewis on Twitter @CBSJags