Why the Jaguars Weren't Worried About Who Was Behind Them

Unlike some of the other teams around the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars didn't rest their starters in Week 18. Well, at least, not until the fourth quarter anyway. By the time Nick Mullens came in for Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars were up 34-7 against the Tennessee Titans.

He could have sat well before that, but Head Coach Liam Coen wanted to ensure that he was rewarded for his tremendous performance this season with another 4,000-yard campaign in the record books. Once T-Law found Parker Washington to hit that number on the year, he could rest easy knowing that he had led his Jaguars to another AFC South championship.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Houston Texans, Trevor Lawrence — Nov 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) stands in the pocket against the Houston Texans during the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Jaguars weren't worried about the Texans

The Jacksonville Jaguars couldn't rest their starters the whole game, considering what was at stake in Week 18. To ensure that they came away with the division crown, they had to beat the Tennessee Titans. Otherwise, the Houston Texans could have won the AFC South with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts, which they wound up getting.

Between Jacksonville and Houston, their division employs the two hottest teams in the NFL going into the playoffs, with the Jaguars riding an eight-game win streak and the Texans notching their seventh in a row versus the Colts. Jacksonville knew it couldn't leave it up to Indy to upset Houston. However, quarterback Trevor Lawrence said that they weren't really thinking about the Texans at all:

Texans checked the Jaguars Titans score at halftime and pulled CJ Stroud. 🤣
— Believe Blue (@BelieveBlue1953) January 4, 2026

"I wouldn't say it's something that you focus on is someone else, because it's just we have enough to take care of on our end. We have games to prepare for, and we’re playing good teams, and you've got to go win those games. But looking back on it, and you look at how the season's gone, and how big all these wins have been, because we had to have them to win the division. I think the lesson is just you never know what's going to happen, and you just have to worry about yourself and control what you can control and play it week by week."

"We were able to do that and put together a good stretch and win all these games, and we needed it, or we wouldn't have won the division. So I think that's the lesson is just keep playing. Just because you have the division lead, that doesn't mean anything. You remember in '22 when the Titans had the lead, and we were 4-8, and we ended up winning the division. You have to keep playing. You can't think, just because you have the lead midway through the season, you have the division locked down.”

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