Shipley's Dozen: 12 Takes on Jaguars' Wacky Win Over Eagles, Parker Washington and More

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are no strangers to wacky games with heart-stopping ends, but Week 5 was something else.

The Jaguars managed to simply find a way to win against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 in a thrilling 19-17 walkoff, but there was, well, a lot that happened between the first snap and the last one. We break down one of the craziest Jaguars games in recent memory in this week's Shipley's Dozen column.

It's Time to Pay Parker Washington

I can say with confidence that I do not believe Parker Washington is going anywhere. That is not due to some insight or knowledge of his pending contract negotiations with the Jaguars. Instead, it is due to the fact that it becomes clearer and clearer with each passing game that the Jaguars' offense would likely be in big trouble without Washington. He is the Jaguars' top pass-catcher for so many reasons, but the most important one might be trust. Just look at the play he makes on his second touchdown, and look at the trust it took between him and Trevor Lawrence to make that play happen.

Washington is going to be a key piece of the Jaguars for a long time because, simply because it is not really possible to envision a Jaguars offense without him. Those are the kinds of players this regime does not let leave the building.

An unbelievably clutch play from Parker Washington. @PHIvsJAX on NFL Network
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/C7Y6hQ0Coc
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

The Defense Needed That 2nd Half

I thought the first half of football from the Jaguars' defense had some good things, but the two touchdowns they allowed were simply drives that should not happen considering the state of the Eagles' offense. The depleted Eagles put together a first-half scoring drive that ended with a two-yard Will Shipley touchdown, and the real issues for the Jaguars were on third-down. The Jaguars allowed conversions on 3rd-and-8, 3rd-and-10, and then 3rd-and-17 in the red-zone due to a Travis Hunter pass interference call. Add in a 62-yard touchdown allowed to Darius Cooper shortly thereafter, and the Jaguars had work to do.

But the second half went much differently. The Eagles gained just three first downs on their first six drives of the second-half, with five of those drives ending in punts and one ending in a turnover on downs. The Jaguars were especially effective in the fourth quarter, forcing three three-and-outs and allowing just three net yards on the first three drives of the game. The Jaguars did see the Eagles have a short drive for a field goal, but it was a nine-play drive that barely averaged four yards per play. The defense was perhaps the biggest reason the Jaguars won this game.

The LT Domino

This has to be the biggest present concern for the Jaguars. They do have some offensive tackle depth, as evidenced by Walker Little stepping in and playing well during the second-half of the game. But Anton Harrison was carted off with a knee injury, and there was not much of an update for the Jaguars' blindside protector on Monday other than Liam Coen noting that he got an MRI but no results yet. Harrison missing extended time while Cole Van Lanen also goes through some of his own struggles would be bad timing with the Houston Texans coming up, and it would also mean the Jaguars would have to lean into offensive line depth like Daniel Faalele and, eventually, Patrick Mekari to help fill-in.

The Move the Jaguars Must Make in the Secondary

Jalen Huskey did not play a single defensive snap on Sunday, which seems ... odd. The Jaguars had Rayuan Lane fill in for Eric Murray and the second-year safety played 100% of the defensive snaps, while Kaevon Merriweather served as the third safety and played 21% of the snaps. Even with two safeties out with Murray and Ransaw, Huskey still didn't see the field. The Jaguars can get better production out of safety than they did on Sunday, and moving toward Huskey as at least the third safety could go a long way toward making that happen.

The Real Issue With the Red-Zone Offense

The Jaguars have long had a strong red-zone offense under head coach Liam Coen, but it was simply all over the place on Sunday. I think penalties were the biggest issue on the day, such as the false starts and delay of games. But I also think those are self-inflicted mistakes that the Jaguars can fix with improved execution. To me, the real concern in the red-zone was the fact that the Jaguars let Jalen Carter completely wreck the game. Carter is one of the highest-paid defenders in all of football for a reason, after all, but it felt like the Jaguars' inability to run the ball at Carter is what led to the ill-fated Bhayshul Tuten fly sweep. If the Jaguars can't block elite defensive linemen when they need just a few yards, that will be an issue that doesn't just go away or work itself out.

The London Irony Has Been Exposed

I have long considered the London games to be road games for the Jaguars, no matter how they are classified on the schedule. The Jaguars have to make their longest trip of the year to play the game, disrupting entire weeks of work in the process, and then they do not have a homefield advantage in any shape or form come game time. This was truer than ever against the Eagles, with the game feeling like an Eagles home came considering the crowd noise, especially when the Jaguars were inside the red-zone. Despite the Jaguars upheaving their travel plans for London each year, it is still a tough road test. That is an odd sense of irony that could come into play again next week against the Texans.

Hat Tip to Heath Farwell

The Jaguars do not win this game without Heath Farwell's unit. The Jaguars did miss one extra point, but the Jaguars made all of their other kicks despite punter/holder Logan Cooke having to adjust to some high snaps from backup long-snapper Davon Hamilton and he was just one of several impressive special teamers. The Jaguars also saw Josh Cameron return a kick for a nullified touchdown, Cam Little make a 57-yard walk-off, and Ameer Abdullah and the kickoff return team producing one of the most important special teams plays of the last few years with his fourht-quarter kick return. Heath Farwell should wear this game proudly.

What Shocked Me

I was surprised the Jaguars went with man coverage as often as they did. They went away from it a bit after the first-half, but it was a big reason the Jaguars allowed a 62-yard touchdown to Darius Cooper. The way to beat Jalen Hurts is by using zone coverage to muddy the picture in the secondary, while man coverage provides him with the ready-made answers he needs. The Jaguars adjusted well, but they paid for it a bit at the start of the game. Man coverage allowed some of the biggest plays of the day, which is a stark contrast from other weeks in the season.

What Didn't Shock Me

The Jaguars' defensive line playing well. They completely shut down the Eagles' rushing attack, while Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker combined for 10 pressures and four quarterback hits. The Jaguars had an easier matchup this week considering the state of the Eagles' offensive line, but they also did what they needed to when it came to taking advantage of the matchup. I thought this might have been the best game the Jaguars' front has had this year, and this comes a week after I thought the same thing.

Jaguar of the Week

Davon Hamilton. That's the tweet.

Jaguars walk off win in improbable fashion with game-winning Cam Little 57-yard field goal + backup long snapper Davon Hamilton: pic.twitter.com/BXhZmb9aSG
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) October 11, 2026

AFC South Check In

It says a lot about the AFC South that a 1-4 team is pretty easily still the second-best team in the division, but that is the case through five weeks. The Indianapolis Colts dropped to 2-3 after a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and even with their win over Houston a week ago I do not think anyone can confidently say the Colts pose a larger threat to the Jaguars than the Texans do after Week 5. Perhaps that is because the Texans are next up on the Jaguars' schedule, but it very much so feels like the Texans are a better team as a whole than the Colts are.

8️⃣0️⃣ YARDS TO THE HOUSE @Nunless2 pic.twitter.com/veiSAV9F4M
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 11, 2026

The Texans still have their fair share of flaws, of course. Their win over the Tennessee Titans was expected in every way, and we did not really learn anything from the Texans inviting a D-II program to come play their homecoming game. The Titans are not just the worst team in the AFC South, but they look like the worst team in the entire NFL. The Texans are the team that should be on the Jaguars' radar after Week 5, at least when it comes to the AFC South.

Early Week 6 Thoughts

The Jaguars are set to play the Texans in Week 6 and, for my money, it is the most important game the Jaguars will have played in their pre-bye week slate. I know the Texans are 1-4 with their lone win coming against an absolutely woeful Titans squad, but they are a good bit better than their record indicates. They have been far from great, but they rank top-15 in both offensive and defensive EPA/Play, and they are starting to get healthier.

Nico Collins being healthy for this game is the most noteworthy health status for Houston. Collins has been a Jaguars killer for years, and they have yet to prove that they can slow down the Texans' WR1. The Texans did add to their offense this weekend with the trade for Marvin Harrison Jr., who should be expected to be on the field in London next week. But until Harrison truly turns a corner on the field, it will be hard for him to be much of a worry.

What is a worry, though, is the idea of the Texans' edge rushers against the Jaguars' offensive line. Anton Harrison is injured and Cole Van Lanen has not played very well after his knee injury, which means the matchup with Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter is a concern. The Jaguars have been the better team all season, but this is not a game where the Texans should be overlooked, either.

Add us as a preferred source on Google