JACKSONVILLE – Let’s get to it …
Wow, Zone! Color me impressed. Sunday had a playoff feel to it and we came out ready to play against one of the AFC’s best. Do you think those earlier losses against the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks reveal our ceiling or are we ready to avenge those?
The Jaguars currently are as good as any team in the AFC, as evidenced by Sunday’s 34-20 road victory over the AFC’s current No. 1 seed – the Denver Broncos – and my thought is there isn’t a team in the NFL the Jaguars can’t beat. The Jaguars are 11-4 with a six-game winning streak, and their victories over strong teams such as the Broncos, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers – to name a few – speaks to their solid status as an elite team. This doesn’t mean they will beat every team they play the rest of the season – or that they will win the AFC. The Broncos are very good. The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills are very good. The Houston Texans are very good. The AFC playoffs will not be remotely easy. I do believe the Jaguars are Super Bowl contenders, just as all aforementioned teams are Super Bowl contenders. Could the Jaguars fare better against NFC powers teams such as Seattle and the Rams than they fared in regular-season losses if they indeed played those teams in the Super Bowl? That’s waaaaaaaay further ahead than we can realistically look, but sure … they could fare better. Why not the Jaguars? This team is good. It’s peaking. It’s very capable of a deep postseason run. Very deep.
Big Jags Fan from Jacksonville
Great team win! Trevor is “HIM!” He is leading this team with his toughness, talent and confidence. We are fortunate to have him as OUR quarterback.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is playing at the highest level of his NFL career. He has thrown 12 touchdown passes and run for two touchdowns with no interceptions in the last four games, and he threw three touchdowns with one rushing touchdown Sunday. He’s playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL right now. This is real. Whatever being “him” means, I suppose he’s that. Or something like that.
Am I correct to understand that if we win out, and Denver and the New England Patriots lose once, that we will be the No. 1 seed with a bye?
Jonathan from deep in Clay County
What a time to be alive! I think back to introductory presser for Liam Coen and at the time, I knew he had a good reputation, but I had no idea the fire that burned deep in him. The fact that he feels disrespected and underrated, it’s obvious that HE “gets” us! He’s as Duval as the rest of us. Is it possible that he was actually casting a spell on the rest of the league when he gave us that first “Duuuvall? Looking back, it sure seems like he was actually engaging in sorcery from Day 1! Go Jags!
My thought is Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen absolutely “gets” Duval.
Jason from North Pole, AK
Cole Van Lanen taking Walker Little’s job at left tackle, wide receiver Dyami Brown being benched, and defensive tackle Maason Smith a healthy scratch. This coaching staff is pretty clear with their message. Do you feel like that is different than what we have seen in the past or just recency bias cause we are winning?
It’s different. The best players play. Period.
Could have, should have. One can only dream that if we didn’t lose the Cincy game due to awful calls by the refs we would have to worry about Houston being a game behind us. No matter, though. We be good. We be dang good!
What ifs and close calls tend to even out after 17 games. Yes, the Jaguars probably should have beaten the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. Remember, though: The Jaguars’ victory over the Las Vegas Raiders could easily have gone the other way, and the same is true of a couple of other close victories. The Jaguars are 11-4 and in first place in the AFC South with two regular-season games remaining and on a six-game winning streak. They control their fate in this. That’s what matters in December.
Tim from Fernandina Beach, FL
John: Funny thing about crowd noise. The fans love it if it leads to a false start for their opponents, but not so much if their own guys can’t hear the whistle and draw a roughing the passer penalty.
Fans fan. It’s what they do.
Eric from Intracoastal West
Longest win streak and on track to have most wins since ’99. Swept the AFC West and undefeated in the West Coast where we traditionally don’t win. Who is this team?!
They’re the 2025 Jaguars, perhaps the AFC’s best team and a team that has a very real chance to contend for the Super Bowl.
The job Corn has done with this team is amazing. He is Coach of the Year. But I’m just a fan. Who would get your vote for coach of the year?
Corn would damned sure get my vote.
Crash from Glen Saint Mary, FL
Obi Wan! So, is that what an elite quarterback looks like?
The only quarterbacks to throw three touchdowns, zero interceptions and rush for a touchdown in a two-game stretch since 1970 are Joe Montana, Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence. The only four quarterbacks that scored 10 touchdowns and 0 int in a two-game stretch are Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees and Josh Allen. Three of those five players won the MVP that year (Montana, Mahomes and Allen).
I don’t know if Lawrence will win NFL MVP. My sense is players such as Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will win the award – and his 40 touchdowns with five interceptions is awfully impressive. Is there a better candidate than Lawrence? The Jaguars’ 11-4 record, and his 33 touchdowns – 26 passing, seven rushing – put him in any legitimate conversation. He’s also the quarterback of what right now might be the NFL’s best offense. I would say Stafford is indeed the likely favorite. If Lawrence isn’t in the conversation, then it’s a silly conversation.
On the Jarrian Jones interception, wasn’t it fourth down? Wouldn’t the team been better off if he had just knocked to ball to the ground rather than catching it?
Yes, when Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones intercepted Broncos quarterback Bo Nix on fourth down in the fourth quarter Sunday, the Jaguars would have had better field position had Jones knocked the ball down instead of catching it. Interceptions are extraordinarily rare in the NFL. It’s very difficult to tell or coach a player not to catch one given the opportunity.
Josh from New Milford, CT
This team can win the Super Bowl. Franchise has come a long way since January.
Yes, it can. Yes, it has.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but if Head Coach Liam Coen can figure out the run game and we stay healthy, this is a Super Bowl team.
The Jaguars are a good running team; it’s key to their identity. They haven’t run as well in recent weeks as they want. Some of this is because teams are focused on stopping the run against the Jaguars in recent weeks – and when NFL teams focus on stopping the run, they often can do so. When teams do that, teams must be able to throw to win – and the Jaguars have done that in recent weeks. When teams focus more on stopping the pass – as they certainly will – I expect the Jaguars will run more effectively. Also remember: The Broncos are a really good run defense. That was a hard team to run on Sunday.
Do you think Trevor Lawrence is regressing? Last week he had six touchdowns and this week he only had four.
Nicholas from Fort Hood, Texas
KOAF: No Nick Mullens in the last game. Are the Jaguars regressing?
… and so does Nicholas.
What’s the deal with the whole respect thing? Every wear you look we are high in power rankings, constantly mentioned as rising/dangerous team and yet Leon keeps talking about respect. Is this what he’s saying to motivate the boys? It’s a little silly.
We as a nation spend fall Sundays watching grown men hit each other and throw and catch a weirdly shaped ball while wearing pads, bright uniforms and helmets. Who’s to say what’s silly?
Gary from St. Augustine, FL
Even when Trevor Lawrence is on a heater, you still suck.
