JACKSONVILLE – Let’s get to it …
The Titans have always been our historical nemesis. This started in 1995 with our first game (then Oilers), losing the 1999 season AFC Championship Game and too many other instances to mention. As a fan, this game is not an automatic win. A win for the division and momentum into the playoffs with a home game is what makes this game huge. Beating the hated Titans again for the AFC South makes it epic. Do players know or even care about the history or do they see them as just another NFL team wearing different laundry?
The AFC South-leading Jaguars (12-4) will play the Tennessee Titans (3-13) in the 2025 regular-season finale at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday – and history is understandably a theme for Jaguars fans and observers. The Jaguars can, after all, clinch the AFC South with a victory Sunday – and the Titans unquestionably have caused considerable Jaguars historical heartbreak. Not only did the Titans beat the Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game following the 1999 season, they beat the Jaguars in Nashville in the 2023 regular-season finale in a game that cost the Jaguars the AFC South title. I expect players who have been with the team three or four seasons or more have a sense of this history. Players who have been around less than that likely have a vaguer idea of such things. The good thing here is players don’t need history for motivation. These Jaguars are trying to win the AFC South and eventually the Super Bowl. That’s plenty of motivation.
Jags4life from Canton, GA
One more for the disrespect bin. I was listening to Sirius XM Opening Drive. They were doing a segment on the ascension of the Jaguars. They were heaping a lot of praise on quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Head Coach Liam Coen. But even in praise, Bill Polian found a way to disrespect us. In praising the team, he attributed part of the defense’s success to the outstanding play of Darnell Savage and boasted about Logan Cooke setting the record for the longest field goal. REALLY?? You can’t make this stuff up.
This is the core of why “respect” and adulation from national media means nothing in the NFL and why people needn’t worry about it. Very few national media have the time to know details about every team enough to provide meaningful analysis. Listening and watching football shows is fun. Fans like it. It’s entertaining. But what analysts say about professional football means nothing. Play. Win. Make the playoffs. Win more. Hold trophies. Whatever meaning can be found in professional football can be found on podiums in late January and early February.
Nicholas from Sun City, FL
KOAF: When a new regime comes in and turns a franchise around in one year how does that impact the former regime’s chance of ever coaching or being front-office guys in the league?
Kyle from Ingalls, IN and the mean streets of Arlington
So, the Los Angeles Chargers are resting quarterback Justin Herbert for the playoffs and the Buffalo Bills are playing the Jets. I may be wrong, and you have pointed this out a couple of times, but are the Chargers playing to avoid the Jaguars in the first round? If they lose and the Bills win, they flip flop spots and get to go to New England instead of coming here. That’s how I know we are now an elite team not just a good team, teams are playing to avoid us.
I expect the Chargers are resting starters to ensure starters are healthy for the postseason. I doubt there is much more to it than that.
Jags over Titans, Denver Broncos over Chargers, New England Patriots over Miami Dolphins, Bills over New York Jets and Houston Texans over Indianapolis Colts all seem inevitable. That makes the 3v6 matchup Jags versus Bills. Even if the Chargers backups manage an upset over Denver, we jump to the No. 2 seed, but the Bills drop to No. 7. Duval needs to buy up all the presale tickets for the wild card round NOW before it’s official and the table-diving, CTE-riddled Bills Mafia starts buying them all up. Am I right, or am I right?
Hey, John. I remember writing in to you in March or maybe April about the amount of miles the Jags were going to have to fly this season and how that might affect them. You answered something along the lines of “It’s not ideal but these are professionals and they know how to handle it.” Now with all our road games behind us, I can pretty confidently say you were right. We seem to not have been affected by it.
Good teams tend to win and bad teams tend not to win. The wheres, whens and whys are often secondary.
Bruce from Green Cove Springs, FL
The year: 1996. Last game of the regular season. I sat in the stadium watching possibly the league’s best kicker, Morten Andersen, preparing to end a remarkable Jaguars season. And I remember the entire stadium absolutely erupting when Anderson missed a 30-yard field goal, putting the Jaguars in their first playoff. What a memorable, magical moment. Now I am looking for another memorable, magical moment. I know, I know – we haven’t even won the AFC South yet, but I can dream, right? Even if that dream includes watching the Jaguars play in Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026?
Dream on, Bruce. Dream on.
Richard from Jacksonville
Is the wide receiver room such that Hunter may play exclusively on defense? Or perhaps he only plays wide receiver in four-wide sets? I know this is premature, but I’d really like your opinion.
I would be surprised if cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter plays only defense next season. I don’t have a feel for how extensively or what specific role Hunter will play on offense moving forward.
Chevin from Riverside, Jacksonville, FL
I couldn’t help but notice that the 2026 first-round draft selection the Jaguars traded to the Cleveland Browns to move up to select Travis Hunter is now going to be a very late selection in 2026. I understand a first-round selection is still a great thing to have but something tells me Cleveland was banking on that being a much higher selection while General Manager James Gladstone bet on the Jaguars and that gamble was awarded with significant draft capital value in return. Just an observation I wanted to share.
I’ve been so optimistic throughout the season. Through the ups and downs. One would even say go against the grind, but here we are again. The Titans in our way. I’m a lifer, I know the history. While I’m pumped up for the game. I still have this uneasy feeling. Oh how the tide can turn with one slip. Duuvaaaal.
Uneasy feelings in December are part of the deal for rooting for a contending team. It’s the uneasiness that makes it matter. This is not scripted television. This is the NFL. Any team can beat any team and you don’t know how it’s going to play out until it plays out.
Brian Thomas Jr. needs a lot of practice catching the ball or he needs glasses. What is wrong with him? He never catches a clean ball and looks more like a juggler. What a huge disappointment all season. Go Jaguars!
When it comes to having fair and somewhat difficult questions about Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., Don remains “all in.”
Happy New Year, Zone! My biggest issue with our roster has been the lack of drafted DAWGS over the last few years. When football discussions with friends turn to our roster, my first thought is we draft a lot of “character” guys. It’s now become apparent that we indeed have that Dawg in HC Liam Coen, moreover, a lead Dawg that the roster has followed. Will complacency be their biggest issue moving forward? One fer Shad for finding this guy! DTWD!
The Jaguars have plenty of “dawgs.” Players needn’t yell and engage pregame and post-play theatrics to be good, championship players. Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen is a high-end leader. One fer Jaguars Owner Shad Khan.
We always hear about the analytics. Do teams have someone googling analytics in the 40 seconds between plays to help them make a decision?
No. They have an analytics department that works year-round, that meets with coaches throughout the year and each week. It’s part of what teams do. Googling is not necessary. Usually.
How cool would it be to see the worst NFL team vs. the best college team? THAT should be the Pro Bowl! Would you click on that?
Only if I wanted to see a blowout.
