After a two-year absence, the Jacksonville Jaguars managed to make the playoffs and capture the AFC South in 2025. Looking back, it was a bit surprising that they pulled it off. After all, they had just gone 4-13 the season prior. Similarly, Liam Coen and James Gladstone were entering their first season as the head coach and general manager, respectively. When you add it all up, nobody would've blamed the Jags if they had failed to qualify for the postseason. In the end, though, they pulled it off.
Jacksonville now enters Year 2 of the Coen era, and the stakes have been raised significantly. The good news is that all the pieces are in place to return to the playoffs next season. In fact, that's exactly what an NFL analyst predicts on his forecast.
The Jaguars are expected to make the playoffs in Year 2 of the Liam Coen era
Lou Scataglia of NFL Spin predicted all the AFC teams that will make the playoffs in 2026 and included the Jaguars, pointing out that they have enough talent to pick up where they left off last year, even though they lost a pair of key pieces in linebacker Devin Lloyd and running back Travis Etienne. Here's the skinny.
"The Jaguars played extremely well last year, but did lose Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd in free agency," Scataglia wrote. "There's also a reason to believe that a slight regression could be coming, as teams now have a full season's worth of tape on the Jaguars, but that wasn't the case with a new-look coaching staff in 2025."
Scataglia continued, "Jacksonville is still well-coached, and the team may also have a borderline-elite quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. There is enough present with this team to sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card in 2026."
While it's true that Jacksonville lost Lloyd and Etienne, they're confident that Ventrell Miller and Bhayshul Tuten can fill the voids at linebacker and running back, respectively.
Liam Coen says that Miller should feel good about the fact that the Jaguars didn't bring in anyone to compete with him for the starting job next to Foyesade Oloukun. On the other hand, the second-year head coach says that he and his staff have yet to unlock Tuten's full skill set.
When you factor in that the front office beefed up the offensive line and fortified the defensive line, Jacksonville will be in a position to compete for a playoff spot. And in case you were wondering, the Houston Texans also made the cut on NFL Spin Zone's prediction, and understandably so.
The Texans split the series with the Jags last year, and they're their biggest threat to repeat as division champs next year.
The Jaguars will make the playoffs with Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence leading the way
Liam Coen isn't the kind of head coach who isn't going to let his team get content, so expect him to keep finding ways to motivate his players like he did throughout his first season at the helm. Speaking of, he should have a better grasp of what the job entails, so he should be able to build off Jacksonville's success in 2025.
Trevor Lawrence should be able to keep making strides and take his game to the next level. Unlike the past two years, he won't have to spend the offseason recovering from injuries. Couple that with the fact that he's got a firmer grasp of the Coen scheme, and the former Clemson Tiger will be in a position to play at an MVP level.
Simply put, the Jaguars have lots of talent and the head coach to make noise in the NFL. Barring anything extraordinary, expect them to make the playoffs for the second year in a row.
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