3 Things We Learned About the Jaguars in Week 3

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars proved their physical and mental toughness in Week 3, knocking off the Houston Texans in a hard-fought 17-10 win in front of their home fans.

But what truths did we learn about the Jaguars during the AFC South clash? We break down the top-three below.

BTJ is Still a Big-Play Threat

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) catches a pass before an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Had Brian Thomas Jr. hung onto his first-half deep shot over Derek Stingley, he would have ended the game with nearly 100 yards receiving on just three catches. The consistency is not there right now, but his big catch-and-run to set up Travis Etienne's touchdown proved that, even on his off days, Thomas is still a walking big play threat.

Trevor Lawrence Has Plenty of Pull

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) prepares to receive the snap during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It has certainly become clear just how much pull Trevor Lawrence has in the offense. The Jaguars' staff has praised his ability to operate the new scheme, but Sunday showed a number of examples of Lawrence changing the play at the line -- including on his big fourth quarter throw to Brian Thomas. He also changed plenty of called run plays in the first half when the Texans gave them looks they did not prepare for.

“Yeah, he's making a lot of the right decisions. So, I've been pleased with his—the screen would've been huge. He checked us out of a run. We had a screen versus zero blitz. It would've been a huge one, which he got us into the right play, ends up, it gets tipped by Pitre [Texans S Jalen Pitre] on the blitz, we're bluffing the blitzer, throwing a screen into pressure, that was nice and just didn't get executed," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said on Monday.

"But I would say, I mean, there's probably five percent, less than five percent that he is not right on currently in the cans and audibles and stuff like that. I've been very pleased with his preparation. He has worked extremely hard throughout the week at studying the plan, doing extra on his own and some of that is really helping us operate. Did it show in every statistical category on Sunday? No, but he is getting us in and out of the right plays.”

The Deep Ball is An Issue

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Dyami Brown (5) sprints but an overthrown pass is out of reach against Houston Texans cornerback Tremon Smith (11) during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jaguars' offense has been hit-or-miss this season in terms of the passing game, and Sunday showed the one aspect of the offense that is completely absent right now: the deep ball. It has been a strength in the past, with Trevor Lawrence ranking No. 13 among qualified passers in EPA/Play on 20-air yard passes in 2024, No. 6 in 2023, and No. 17 in 2022. But in 2025, it simply isn't there.

Lawrence was 0-for-4 on deep passes vs. the Texans and through three weeks is 0-for-8. The only other qualified passers who have not connected on a single deep shot are Tyrod Taylor, Cam Ward and Michael Penix, which is not great company. The Jaguars and Lawrence need to fix this quickly.

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