Why Jaguars Cornerstones' Deserve Golden Opportunity in Week 18

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 12-4, but they have plenty to play for in the final game of the regular season.

Dec 4, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington (11) and quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) celebrates his touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images | Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

This Jacksonville Jaguars team is vastly different from what this franchise has fielded in years past. Through 17 weeks, they've tripled their win total from last season, thanks to the transformative additions of Liam Coen, the rest of the new staff, and all of the personnel changes brought on by first-year general manager James Gladstone.

The new regime wasn't shy about turning over the roster. According to Over The Cap's Jason Fitzgerald, the Jaguars retained just 50.9 percent of their personnel from 2024 as of September 7, 2025, which was the fifth-lowest mark in the league. Jacksonville's newcomers have been instrumental to its incredible turnaround this season; however, most of the leaders on this team have been around to experience the growth of the Jaguars firsthand.

Dec 14, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41), defensive end Matt Dickerson (93) and defensive end Travon Walker (44) react against the New York Jets at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Jaguars' veterans deserve this

Even at 12-4, the Jacksonville Jaguars can't rest on their laurels in the final game of the regular season. They clinched a postseason bid ahead of Week 17's matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, but the AFC South is still up for grabs for the Houston Texans. In fact, the Jags could finish as low as the seventh seed in the conference if they don't handle their business against the Tennessee Titans in the finale.

While that could be a terrifying thought, it also gives the Jaguars an incredible opportunity to clinch the division at EverBank Stadium in front of their loyal hometown fans, and even give themselves a chance at landing the No. 1 seed and the first-round bye. For holdovers like Parker Washington, getting to claim the AFC South crown in front of the Duval faithful with a divisional win seems like a dream come true after the turmoil he experienced to begin his career:

Wild, but true

The Jags can still be each of the following seeds in the AFC Playoffs

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— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 29, 2025

"Just since I got here as a rookie, just trying to get this organization and turn it around — it's been lots of glimpses and we know we've had a special team since then and it's just been cool to have this staff push us to be better and it's just cool to see where we're at now. We're not just looking too far in the past of course, we're talking about this opportunity ahead, but it's just exciting to be like, 'We've came a long way, and we're just going to keep building on that.' So, I'm excited, we're excited and we're ready to have some fun."

There's no doubt that Washington and the rest of the Jaguars' veterans, like Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne Jr., Josh Hines-Allen, and Travon Walker, will be relishing the opportunity to celebrate with the hometown fans before a postseason run.

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