How Outside Optimism for the Jaguars Has Peaked This Season

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been one of the best stories in the 2025 NFL season. They started off incredibly hot, jumping out to a 4-1 record to begin the year.

While people were impressed with Head Coach Liam Coen and his team's performance in that span, they chalked it up to mostly turnover luck, with the Jaguars' defense notching an unsustainable, league-leading 14 takeaways in five games.

Then, they came back down to Earth, losing two straight before their Week 8 bye, barely beating the Las Vegas Raiders after the break, and blowing a 19-point fourth-quarter lead to Davis Mills and the Houston Texans to fall to 6-4 after a torrid start to the season.

However, the Jaguars haven't lost another game since that wake-up call versus Houston. They're now 11-4 with just two weeks left to go.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Indianapolis Colts — Jacksonville Jaguars Jax Pack flag bearers run on the field before 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

Jaguars' bandwagon's all booked up

The Jacksonville Jaguars have won six straight games to capture and maintain the AFC South crown. Even during that incredible run, it took a while before they were viewed as legitimate contenders. In a season when there's been a clear shortage of powerhouse teams, the NFL world hesitated to embrace the Jaguars as one.

That perception changed this past week, with Jacksonville marching into Mile High Stadium and routing the AFC-leading Denver Broncos on the road, 34-20. That game answered a lot of the questions that still surrounded this team. Can they play well against top competition? Can Trevor Lawrence hold up versus elite defenses? Can the defense lock down opposing offenses when it's not forcing multiple turnovers?

The last time Philip Rivers faced the Jags Jonathan Taylor went nuclear.

🔥 253 rushing yards (franchise record)
🔥 2 TDs

Colts clinched a playoff spot with a 28–14 win. pic.twitter.com/gi3B7fAbuV
— SleeperColts (@SleeperColts) December 26, 2025

That win gave the Jaguars a real chance to capture the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and with it, the first-round bye.

The odds are still long, but it would give Jacksonville a massive advantage in the postseason and cement their status as one of the top teams in the league this year. NFL.com's panel of editors didn't believe the Jags could get it done against the Broncos last week. They're not making the same mistake for Jacksonville's upcoming rematch with the Indianapolis Colts. All five members picked the Jaguars in this one.

Dan Parr is predicting a 28-21 win for the Jags: "The Jaguars are smoking, winners of six straight, with an average margin of a whopping 18.8 points during that immaculate stretch. There's a path to victory for Indianapolis, especially if it turns long, methodical drives into touchdowns and forces Trevor Lawrence into a mistake or two ... or three.

I'm just not going to predict that scenario will play out, with the QB playing squeaky-clean ball of late and Jacksonville closing in on a division title. The Colts — once an 8-2 team that seemed destined for the postseason — need a win to keep their faint playoff hopes alive, but I'm afraid the road for them ends here."

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen challenges the spot of the down 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] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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