By: Cameron Miller

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Jacksonville Jaguars are just three weeks into the 2025 season, but their 2–1 record already tells us a story of grit, growth, and some lingering inconsistencies.

After an offseason that came with a good bit of change, with new head coach Liam Coen leaving Tampa Bay to take over the reins in Jacksonville following their disastrous 4–13 disappointment from last year.

The Jaguars have shown signs of a team that is ready to contend again in the AFC South. At the same time, they’ve also revealed enough cracks to remind fans and players that the climb back to potential playoff form might not be as simple as some had hoped.

The brightest development has been the resurgence of the running game.

After a slow season last year former 1st round pick Travis Etienne has picked up right where he left off a year ago as Jacksonville’s most reliable offensive weapon.

Through three weeks, he’s delivered explosive plays on the ground and in the passing game, including a game-clinching touchdown against Houston in Week 3. His blend of speed and vision has given the Jaguars the ability to control the tempo of games and avoid leaning too heavily on the passing game when things bog down.

Another player, who in my opinion, has come out of the gates headfirst is this year’s 4th round pick, Bhayshul Tuten. With the unexpected emergence of Tuten the Jags were able to make a big decision which was to trade former 3rd round pick, running back Tank Bigsby to the Eagles.

On defense, linebacker Foye Oluokun has been the tone-setter. He’s not only piling up tackles but also forcing turnovers, including an interception and a fumble recovery that swung the opener against Carolina. The pass rush, led by Travon Walker and Josh Allen, has also produced steady pressure, helping the defense notch three or more sacks in two of the first three games.

When this group is flying around, Jacksonville looks like the tough, opportunistic defense Coen envisioned.

Another key thing that needs to be recognized is through the first 3 weeks of the season this Jaguars defense is leading the NFL with 7 total interceptions.

The Wide receiver room is unfortunately beginning with their fair share of struggles. Even though they haven’t come out guns blazing like some may have hoped, they have still provided flashes of what we could start to see consistently in the near future.

Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has shown his big-play potential with deep catches, while wide receiver / cornerback Travis Hunter has been tested early and hasn’t shied away from the challenge. Their development will be key in determining just how far this roster can go in 2025.

Still, the season so far has been far from flawless. The most glaring issue remains Trevor Lawrence’s inconsistency.

While he’s shown poise and accuracy at times including three touchdown passes in the narrow Week 2 loss at Cincinnati, turnovers have been a recurring problem. Lawrence has already thrown multiple interceptions in a game, and those miscues have stalled drives and flipped momentum, but you can’t blame all of the passing issues on Lawrence being that the Jaguars have one of the highest drop rates in the entire league. For a team still learning to close out tough contests, ball security will be critical.

Penalties have also haunted the Jaguars. They were penalized 11 times in the opener and were flagged for a costly pass interference in Cincinnati that helped extend the Bengals’ game-winning drive. Discipline has been a theme since training camp, and it’s clear the team is still trying to iron out the details for Coen’s new system.

Another concern for the Jags is their efficiency in the red zone. Jacksonville has been able to consistently move the ball between the 20s but seem to have to often fall short and settle for field goals rather than touchdowns and like we all know when you’re in a competitive game against a quality opponent, leaving points on the board could be the difference between a playoff push and another mediocre season.

At 2–1, Jacksonville finds themselves in 2nd place in the AFC South, behind only the Indianapolis Colts. The surprisingly near elite level of play from Daniel Jones is seeming to make a division that looks winnable into an increasingly competitive fight.

Texans remain dangerous with their young core, while Tennessee also can’t be overlooked.

For the Jaguars to stay ahead, they’ll need Lawrence to stabilize his play and really start to establish the passing game, the offensive line needs to hold up against elite fronts so this run game can keep driving full steam, and the defense to continue generating turnovers at the high level they are currently.

The early weeks have at least proven this to us, the Jaguars under Liam Coen are more resilient than they were a year ago.

In 2024, close games hardly ended competitively. In 2025, Jacksonville has already shown they can hang in and finish the job, like they showed in the grind-it-out win over Houston. That kind of toughness was missing last year and could be the foundation of something bigger under Coen.

The next stretch of the schedule will test the Jaguars’ growth.

Matchups against San Francisco and Kansas City will serve as true measuring sticks for a team still trying to establish its identity.

Win one of those, and Jacksonville will prove that they belong back in the AFC playoff conversation.

For now, a 2–1 start gives us real hope that progress is being made.

The Jaguars have weapons on offense, they have playmakers on defense, and maybe most importantly they have a belief that wasn’t always there last season.

If they can clean up the mistakes, Jacksonville has the foundation to potentially be a contender once again.