NFL Legend is All-In on Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars haven't been receiving their due respect this season, but the tides have finally shifted after they took the lead in the AFC South.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Lequint Allen Jr. (36), left, and wide receiver Tim Patrick (17) celebrate a second down pickup during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Colts 36-19. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars and their loyal followers have heard it all this season. Oh, they beat a bad Carolina Panthers team — who cares? Their Week 1 opponent is now 7-6 with a decent chance to win the NFC South. They took advantage of an injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers.

Those Niners only got progressively more banged-up throughout the season, but have fought their way to a 9-4 mark. They'll stop winning once the defensive takeaways regress to the mean. The Jaguars continued to force turnovers and found ways to emerge victorious even when they don't.

In their last outing, they put an absolute beatdown on the Indianapolis Colts, 36-19, to take sole possession of the one seed in the AFC South. Jacksonville is on pace to host a playoff game this year, and they're not looking to slow down now, nor when the postseason rolls around. Finally, the Jaguars have commanded the respect they deserve, even if they don't want it.

Nov 8, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor (75) guards against Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) during the second quarter at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

J.J. Watt give Jaguars their flowers

J.J. Watt got to watch firsthand as two of his former division rivals went head-to-head to potentially decide the fate of the division. He witnessed the Jacksonville Jaguars blow out the Indianapolis Colts to extend their home winning streak to 10 years running. There might not be a person on this Earth more familiar with the dysfunction of the Jaguars over the last two decades than Watt, who holds an all-time record of 14-3 against Jacksonville and averaged a sack in each game during that span.

As such, there's no better commentator to distinguish the difference between what Head Coach Liam Coen and this new regime has done with this team than he. On X (formerly known as Twitter), he laid out what's impressed him the most about this team — their continued growth throughout the season:

They’re playing some damn good football, on both sides of the ball.

Liam Coen should definitely be in the Coach of the Year conversation with Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel.

Anthony Campanile has that defense humming. #1 run defense in the NFL and taking the ball away left &… https://t.co/tumbMC1Vo3

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) December 7, 2025

"The thing I like most about them is that they’re constantly evaluating themselves and figuring out how to be most successful with the tools they have. They don’t care what it looks like or how it gets done, they just want to find the best possible path to wins."

"The changes they made after the Bye week and the conversations they had amongst themselves after the Houston collapse seem to have been incredibly beneficial for this team. They continue to improve as they figure out exactly who they are and get more comfortable with each other, both players and coaches."

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