American Football
The Jacksonville Jaguars have the talent, but can Lawrence, Thomas and Coen rediscover the winning formula?
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The NFL can be a fragile place. A few weeks ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars were riding high, sitting at 4-1, and looking like playoff contenders after their upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Then came the crash.
Their one-score defeat at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks could have been forgiven, but their humiliation at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley Stadium exposed what first appeared to be cracks for gaping chasms.
As quarterback Trevor Lawrence reflects on how to help his team find "a way to get back", I reflect on what's been going wrong and where the Jaguars must go from here.
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Questions at wide receiver
Brian Thomas Jr.
Thomas Jr. was sensational in his rookie season. He not only led all first-year receivers in yards (1,282) and touchdowns (10) but ranked third and sixth among all wideouts in those categories.
That he achieved those numbers and made the Pro Bowl without the Jaguars' starting quarterback, Lawrence, who missed half the season with a shoulder injury, made his feats all the more impressive.
With Lawrence back in the fold, the 23-year-old seemed poised to become, or should that be remain, one of the league's elite.
Seven games into 2025, the reality couldn't be further from the truth, as Thomas has dropped a higher percentage of his targets (12.5%) than any wide receiver except the Cleveland Browns' Jerry Jeudy.
In addition to stalling drives, what makes Thomas' inability to corral passes so frustrating is that this wasn't a problem last year, when he routinely came down with contested passes and dropped only 5.3% of his attempts.
His sudden lack of physicality has drawn the ire of some Jaguars fans.
In what is clearly a case of lacking confidence, the Jags' offense needs Thomas to find a resolution, and quickly.
Thomas should take a leaf from Amon Ra-St. Brown's book and spend additional time with the jugs machine. Maybe he already is, or was, before suffering an injury late in that Rams' loss.
Travis Hunter
On offense, Hunter can be an elite playmaker, evidenced by his breakout performance against the Rams. Defensively, he has the potential to be a true shutdown corner.
As general manager James Gladstone put it after moving up to select the former Colorado Buffaloes star second overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, Hunter can "alter the trajectory of the sport."
That's entirely true, but the question remains - how is he best used? Because if one thing is clear, no NFL player can play 100% of the snaps on both sides of the ball.
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The emergence of Parker Washington and the return of Dyami Brown suggest the need may be bigger in the secondary, but the problem for Coen and Co. is that the team sorely needs help at both positions.
Discipline is sorely lacking
No team has been penalised more often than Jacksonville in 2025, and they have allowed more penalty yards than any team except the Denver Broncos.
It's a problem that's costing them dearly, as demonstrated on this punt return on Sunday.
Lawrence summed it up best after the Wembley defeat - a game where the Jaguars committed 13 penalties for 119 yards.
"Some self-inflicted wounds. If we can clean that up and just stay on schedule, I think that's where you are seeing the slow starts, and then we're getting behind."
Easier said than done, especially when the problem exists on offense, defense, and special teams. Nevertheless, addressing the issue needs to be a priority for Coen during Jacksonville's bye week.
Kicking woes
In 2024, placekicker Cam Little ranked fifth in the league in kicking accuracy, achieving a mark of 92.9%.
This season, he ranks 32nd, converting only 71.4% of his attempts.
In contrast to last year, the issue is with longer field goals. Little was 13-of-15 on kicks over 40 yards in 2024 compared to only four of eight this season.
He's clearly capable of booming kicks from downtown.
Is it time for a change? Perhaps. Other kickers are routinely nailing 50+ yarders. Some are even converting 60+ yard efforts.
Leaky defense
The unit is missing the talents of linebacker Devin Lloyd, who was playing at an incredible level before suffering a calf injury.
But the cause of the issues extends beyond the absence of one player, and it starts upfront with the defensive line.
Despite boasting two above-average edge rushers in Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, the Jaguars rank dead last with only eight sacks.
Walker has missed some time with an injury, which has led to Emmanuel Ogbah and Duwaune Smoot playing larger roles than they would otherwise, but neither is up to the job.
Defensive tackle Arik Armstead has been doing his part, with 3.5 sacks, but he needs more help from his teammates.
So, where do they go from here?
Liam Coen didn’t duck the criticism after Sunday’s loss.
It’s easy for me to say from the outside, without the pressure Coen’s under, but the fix has to start with the basics.
Clean up the penalties. Simplify the offense so Trevor Lawrence isn’t scrambling for his life every dropback. Let Travis Etienne carry the load and rebuild some rhythm on the ground.
After that, the questions get tougher.
Can Brian Thomas Jr. be trusted again as a true WR1, or does Hunter need to take on that role? Do you stick with Cam Little, or bring in competition to shake things up?
Perspective matters here. The Jaguars aren’t entirely broken, not on the same level as the New York Jets or Miami Dolphins. But they are at a crossroads. The talent’s there, but the belief is suddenly lacking.
If they can stop getting in their own way, they’ll be fine. Maybe not a playoff team, but coming off a 4-13 season, hitting .500 would still count as real progress.
