Why This Jaguars' Run Should Be Sustainable

In today's episode of the Jacksonville Jaguars Insider Podcast, we take a look at what we can really take away from the Jaguars' run to the 2025-26 postseason.

Nov 2, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Tony Boselli during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars seemed to have a real Super Bowl window in this year's postseason, but it came to an abrupt end this weekend in a Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills.

While the Bills prematurely ended the Jaguars' fantastic run with a 27-24 game that came down to the final minute, there are enough reasons for the Jaguars to think this run can be sustained in 2026 and beyond and not be yet another flash in the pan season. We discuss this and more in today's episode of the Jacksonville Jaguars Insider Podcast.

Watch today's episode below

The Jaguars have been through wildly successful first seasons under a new head coach before. Doug Marrone and Doug Pederson both won the AFC South in their first year at the helm (2017, 2022), but both coaches also failed to capitalize on the momentum.

After a 10-win season and a trip to the AFC Championship in 2017, the Jaguars doubled down on Blake Bortles at quarterback, a decision that would come back to haunt them. 2018 would begin four consecutive seasons of last-place finishes in the AFC South, with the Jaguars going 5-11 after their magical and memorable run.

The 2023 Jaguars had much more success than the 2018 Jaguars, but they ended up with the same result. In fact, it might have been worse. The Jaguars started 8-3 but injuries derailed Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars crumbled down the stretch, losing to the Tennessee Titans in the regular season finale to finish 9-8 and hand the division over to the Houston Texans.

Then, 2024 happened. One of the worst seasons in franchise history led to Pederson's departure and the hiring of Liam Coen, Tony Boselli, and James Gladstone. And it will now be up to that trio to ensure the 2025 season does not go into the history books next to 2017 and 2022; fun seasons that, ultimately, didn't mean anything.

Nov 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Jaguars have raised the standard in the franchise, which one can argue didn't happen in 2017 and 2022 even without hindsight. The Jaguars' structure and foundation was shaky then, largely due to a lack of alignment in the front office, coaching staff, and locker room.

That standard has been set with the new regime, though, and they seemed as aligned as the franchise has ever been. The Jaguars' locker room had high aspirations, and they don't seem as dashed as they were in past years.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) fakes the hands off to running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Yeah, I hope so, I hope so. But as a standard, I feel like it’s been the standard since we got there in 2022. So we've just been enforcing the standard. But I feel like we want to get to the Super Bowl at the end of the day, man. We don’t play this game for no other reason. That’s the main goal, that’s the focus," Jaguars running back Travis Etienne said on Sunday after the loss to the Bills.

"As long as I’m playing football, that’s where I’m trying to get each and every year. And I think Coach [Liam] Coen has that mindset, too. He also understands what it takes. One game at a time, you don’t just get there in Week 1. So he has great understanding of that and keeps us focused throughout the whole year, which is great. But we don’t even get to go this year, so all this stuff doesn’t even really matter.”

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) walks off the field after losing to the Bills during an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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