The Jacksonville Jaguars are sitting at 2-1 in the AFC South, one game behind the surprisingly good Daniel Jones-led Indianapolis Colts. With an entirely new leadership and coming off a less-than-stellar 4-13 season in 2024, fans should be happy with their team's positioning—especially after a gritty, physical, if not quite sexy win over the Houston Texans.
There have been more than a few surprising storylines to the season, some of which have directly led to their solid start. The defense is playing some of its best football and has already matched last year's numbers in takeaways with nine.
Moreover, the Jags lead the league in opposing QBR (65.5) and interceptions (7), and are top ten in numerous other categories. Despite something of a setback in Week 3, the running game has been solid so far. On the other hand, the passing game has been a weakness, particularly due to the drops by the wide receiver room and a few head-scratching plays from quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
While Lawrence has always had his share of throws that make us armchair quarterbacks frown in confusion, the Jaguars' receivers were expected to be a strength coming into the year—especially after drafting Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Yet it's the second-veteran Brian Thomas Jr. who seems to be struggling to find his feet (or his hands).
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Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is struggling to find his rhythm
We've already talked about Brian Thomas Jr.'s early struggles on here, so I won't belabor the point. Suffice to say, he's not begun his sophomore season with the same head-turning performance from his Pro Bowl rookie season in 2024. He has an abysmal seven receptions off 25 targets for only 115 yards—46 of which came during the game-winning drive against Houston last week.
While some of those incompletions are certainly on Lawrence, he's had a case of the dropsies this year. Depending on where you look (drops are a notoriously tricky stat to quantify), it's a conservative three drops so far. Regardless of the reason, Thomas has had a slow start to his second season.
"Like a hitter who starts out the baseball season in a slump, BTJ has looked rough through three games," NFL Media's Kevin Patra writes. "There have been drops, an apparent lack of concentration at times, and some complete miscommunications with Trevor Lawrence. I don’t fault the wideout for not succumbing to a couple of Lawrence hospital balls, but he hasn’t been the force expected in Year 2."
But as underwhelming as Thomas has been, it's not time to panic. At least, not yet.
NFL talking heads still believe in Brian Thomas Jr.—and so should you
Brian Thomas Jr. is a special talent, and there was a good reason he was selected to the Pro Bowl last year. He caught 87 balls for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns last year—mostly with Mac Jones throwing him the ball.
The former LSU Tiger is fast and comes through in the clutch, as he demonstrated against Houston in Week 3. He and Lawrence are working with a new offense in 2025, so expect some miscommunications. Patra also thinks fans should wait it out before jumping ship.
"The talent will eventually win out, and the slump will end," Patra added. "Thomas is generating separation at a similar rate to his rookie season and is receiving enough targets to see his way through the haze of the first three weeks."
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Final thoughts
The Jacksonville Jaguars are only a game back in their division, and with the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans both occupying the basement floor, it's looking like a two-way battle with the Indianapolis Colts.
Second-year receiver Brian Thomas Jr. still has time to put together a great season, so fans should stick it out and wait for the kinks to get worked through. I expect BTJ to turn it around soon.