Big Cat Country
Jacksonville is winners of six straight, with its most recent victory coming at the house of the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Not so bad for a small market team.
“We really don’t care about the narrative,” head coach Liam Coen said after the Week 16 win. “I’m sorry to say that, but it’s only helping us, so I want the narrative [of disrespect] to keep coming.”
As Week 17 approaches, we rounded up the latest NFL power rankings to get a sense of how the Jaguars are viewed nationally.
From Mike Florio:
“Smaller markets” have big dreams, too.
From Pete Prisco:
They have ripped off six straight victories as Trevor Lawrence has been as good as any passer in the league the last five weeks. Liam Coen is in the Coach of the Year conversation.
From Nate Davis:
They’ve won six in a row, but QB Trevor Lawrence has truly been in the zone over his last four games − with a 120.8 passer rating during that stretch while accounting for 14 TDs. The defense has also added another 10 takeaways in those four recent victories. Any number of teams could emerge from a muddled AFC field − but, after a decisive win in Denver, the Jags are certainly playing as well as anyone in the conference right now.
With Jacksonville playing against one of the best defenses in the league—and one that looked like a bad matchup for the Jaguars on paper—I was totally prepared them to be humbled in this high-leverage game in Denver.
We saw the exact opposite. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence shook off some early hits and responded by anticipating blitzes, getting the ball out of his hands quickly, and doing his best work on early downs. Jacksonville’s offense has been a machine in the second half of the season, and each week seems to add a new batch of plays that make defenses’ heads spin. I won’t make the mistake of overlooking Jacksonville again.
From Mike DiRocco:
Rookie of the year: Running back Bhayshul Tuten
With cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter out for the year, the Jaguars’ fourth-round pick has made the biggest contribution in 2025. Tuten has rushed for 284 yards (third on the team) and four touchdowns, while catching 10 passes for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns. As the main backup to Travis Etienne Jr., Tuten is also the Jaguars’ leading kick returner (28.4 yards per return on 19 returns). He is likely to miss the rest of the regular season because of a finger injury he suffered in Week 15, but he is expected to return for the playoffs.
From Eric Edholm:
What a statement performance from the barnburning Jaguars, who keep one-upping themselves en route to a potentially historic...
