The Jacksonville Jaguars had a monster season in 2025. With the additions of general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen, the struggling franchise went from 4-13 to winning the AFC South with a 13-4 record.
Despite that, analysts have consistently been dropping the Jaguars in NFL power rankings this offseason, rather than acknowledging them as the legitimate threat they are. The Houston Texans are often ranked above them or seen as more of a contender for the division title.
The league may slowly be coming around on Jacksonville, though. NFL.com’s senior news writer Kevin Patra ranked each division champion from most to least vulnerable, and coming in at No. 8 — meaning the most likely to repeat — was Jacksonville.
For Patra, the Jaguars have the fewest problems compared to the rest of the AFC South.
“I’ll admit this is more of a vibes pick to close out the list than anything analytically based,” Patra wrote. “In a year in which turnover seems inevitable, why not shoot a perceived deep three? I loved what Liam Coen brought to Duval in his first season. The offense finally found its footing down the stretch, as Trevor Lawrence spearheaded an eight-game winning streak to close the regular season.
“Even with questions in the backfield, I expect Coen’s attack to take another step forward. If Brian Thomas Jr. shakes off his sophomore slump, Jakobi Meyers remains Steady Eddy, Parker Washington continues to develop as a slot weapon and Brenton Strange stays healthy, this is an offense that should gobble up yards. There are questions on defense, with Ventrell Miller replacing Pro Bowler Devin Lloyd in the middle. But retaining defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile was a coup for Coen. With another stellar season, the DC would become a hot head-coaching candidate in 2027. I believe in the coaching staff’s ability to cover any roster holes.”
To be fair, Patra also cautioned that the AFC South isn’t a very strong division. The Indianapolis Colts are still floundering, while the Tennessee Titans are not likely to be strong enough to win it all. That leaves the Texans, who are the strongest alternative to the Jaguars, as potential division champions. Yet Patra pointed out that even Houston has its share of problems, particularly on offense.
And as fans know, the Jags are in good shape. Analysts have made a lot out of the losses of Devin Lloyd and Travis Etienne, but the roster has otherwise remained intact, and more importantly, the entire coaching staff returned as well.
There is every reason to believe that Jacksonville will continue to be strong on both sides of the ball, giving the team the chance to be back-to-back division champions for the first time in franchise history.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars receive major vote of confidence entering 2026