![Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen answers questions during a press conference with the team’s first-round pick, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter, right, Friday, March 25, 2025 at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_4346,h_2444/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/55/01jvay6ag4mavdy85465.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen answers questions during a press conference with the team’s first-round pick, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter, right, Friday, March 25, 2025 at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
The Jacksonville Jaguars are flying under the radar and rightly so. They're coming off a 4-13 campaign and are in the midst of a rebuild. That said, they have enough pieces to potentially make a playoff push. In fact, nobody should bat an eye if they exceed expectations in 2025. Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report believes they'll do just that and more.
Moton just posted a win-loss prediction for each NFL team and has Jacksonville going 10-7, citing head coach Liam Coen's work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024 and the presence of Trevor Lawrence as one of the main reasons for the turnaround.
"In 2024, Mayfield posted career highs in passing yards (4,500) and passing touchdowns (41). Though he also tied Kirk Cousins for a league-high 16 interceptions, the good far outweighed the bad in Tampa Bay's third-ranked passing attack.
Moreover, Coen called a balanced Buccaneers offense, fielding the fourth-ranked ground attack. He used a rotation of running backs, primarily Bucky Irving and Rachaad White.
In Jacksonville, Coen can replicate much of what he did in Tampa Bay with another former No. 1 overall pick under center and a talented group of running backs.
If Trevor Lawrence stays healthy, he's primed for a bounce-back year. Coen can work wonders with Lawrence upright in the pocket, throwing downfield to Brian Thomas Jr. and 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter."
The Buccaneers weren't necessarily bad before Coen arrived in 2024. The season prior, they ranked fourth in points scored and third in total yards. Heck, their success led to the then-offensive coordinator Dave Canales becoming the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. On the other hand, the Tampa Bay offense had a massive flaw: The running game.
Under Canales, the Bucs were 28th in rushing touchdowns and dead last in rushing yards. Because they hardly ran the ball that year, their passing numbers were inflated. It wasn't until Coen took over that the offense became the juggernaut the rest of the league got to know. With him at the helm, Tampa Bay finished fourth in rushing yards and third in both total and passing yards.
Simply put, Coen took the Buccaneers to new heights, which is one of the many reasons the Jags became impressed with Coen. His leadership skills and overall knowledge of the game of football also helped him make a strong impression during his interview for the head-coaching vacancy earlier this year. When you add it all up, it's easy to see why Jacksonville set its sights on him.
Circling back to Moton's predictions, what stands out about his win-loss projection is that he expects the Jags to end up with the best record in the NFL. He has the Houston Texans going 9-8, and both the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans finishing with a mirror record of 4-13.
This means that if the division goes the way Moton predicts in 2025, the Jaguars will win the AFC South and make the playoffs. That's a pretty bold prediction, but most definitely doable.
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars can dethrone the Texans and make the playoffs in 2025
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a steep hill to climb to seize the AFC South in 2025 but can make it happen. Although they had several glaring needs to start the offseason, they took care of most of them. Moreover, they raised the floor of nearly every position group and the roster ceiling.
You could make the case that the biggest beneficiary of the team's offseason moves was Trevor Lawrence. The Jags got him a head coach who can get the most out of him, unlike Doug Pederson. Liam Coen should be able to do for No. 16 what he did with Baker Mayfield the year prior. On top of that, new general manager James Gladstone made upgrades to his supporting cast.
Aside from beefing up the offensive line, Jacksonville got Lawrence a pair of new weapons in the game-changing Dyami Brown and two-way star Travis Hunter. Moreover, the former Clemson Tiger will no longer have to win games alone with Coen's emphasis on running the football. Bringing in Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuin Allen should help the Jags have a well-balanced offense.
Meanwhile, the Texans and the rest of the AFC South failed to make as many upgrades to their respective rosters as the Jaguars did. This doesn't mean that they'll have a clear path to the division title, but they will most definitely have a chance.