The Jaguars Just Lost Their Trump Card for Playoff Push

At 5-4, the Jacksonville Jaguars are still in a prime position to make a push for the playoffs in the 2025 NFL season. The AFC is wide open, and there are only a handful of viable competitors to try to unseat the Jags from their current Wild Card spot. They already hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Kansas City Chiefs.

They also have a one-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans. However, Jacksonville must keep pace with KC to retain its playoff bid. After what they showed in their Week 10 loss to the Texans, it's hardly a guarantee that the Jaguars will be able to match Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs the rest of the way.

Still, Head Coach Liam Coen and his team control their own destiny. Even if the Chiefs wind up surpassing them, they could still theoretically pass the Los Angeles Chargers, the Buffalo Bills, or any of the other AFC contenders currently ahead of them in the standings. But the Jaguars have to be better than they were in Week 10.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Hunter Jr. — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) is pressured by Kansas City Chiefs safety Jaden Hicks (21) during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars edged the Kansas City Chiefs 31-28. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Travis Hunter Jr. loss is devastating

There was no shortage of blame to go around after the Jacksonville Jaguars blew a 19-point fourth-quarter lead to Davis Mills and the Houston Texans in Week 10. The defense gave up three straight touchdowns to lose the lead, but the offense didn't do them any favors either, going 3-and-out on back-to-back drives, ensuring they didn't get any rest on the other side of the ball while failing to kill any clock.

As discouraging as that performance was, the Jaguars had some crucial reinforcements coming in — or at least they thought they did. Jacksonville was missing five crucial starters against the Texans: Brian Thomas Jr., Jourdan Lewis, Eric Murray, Brenton Strange, and Travis Hunter Jr. With the addition of Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington's breakout in his third year, the Jaguars would suddenly have a deep pass-catching corps once BTJ and Strange were back in the fold.

That would have freed up Travis Hunter Jr. to play cornerback practically full-time, only appearing on offense when needed. Had the Jaguars done that, they would have been able to field an elite and deep secondary, featuring him, Lewis, Murray, Greg Newsome II, Andrew Wingard, Montaric Brown, and Jarrian Jones. Hunter Jr.'s return would have led to an infusion of talent on both offense and defense for Jacksonville.

Travis Hunter has underwent season-ending surgery to repair his LCL, per @RapSheet

He’s expected to return to full football activity in 6 months. pic.twitter.com/4IyXhL9LlT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 11, 2025

Alas, the Jaguars will have to make their playoff push without him, as he was ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair his LCL. Thankfully, they'll still be getting BTJ, Strange, Lewis, and Murray at various points this year. That should be enough for Jacksonville and Head Coach Liam Coen — it has to be.

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