Following a rocky end to the Doug Pederson era, not much was expected from the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025. After all, Liam Coen was a pretty good coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it was uncertain whether he could make the leap to head coach. To make matters worse, Trevor Lawrence had regressed and suffered an AC injury that ended his season prematurely. Fast forward to December, and things have seemingly worked out pretty well for the Jags.
Not only has Jacksonville qualified for the postseason, but Coen has garnered consideration for NFL Head Coach of the Year. Similarly, Trevor Lawrence should join the MVP conversation even if he ultimately loses to either Drake Maye or Josh Allen. Heck, the Jags have been playing so well that Marcus Spears believes they could achieve big things.
Marcus Spears thinks the Jaguars are Super Bowl-bound
Following the win over the Denver Broncos, Marcus Spears took part in a roundtable and said that the Jags have a shot at reaching the Super Bowl, citing Trevor Lawrence's play as the main reason why.
"Super Bowl, because their quarterback is playing as well as anybody in the NFL at the most important position, yeah, and it feels like Trevor Lawrence has been freed up by Liam Coen."
Spears told ESPN colleague Scott Van Pelt when asked what the Jags' ceiling is. "He understands where to go with the football, but I was more impressed with his legs in this game. Not only buying time, but this girl right here, Scott, these are, these are playoff throws right here."
Spears continued, "Now, these are the type of plays you got to make to win some of these games late in the fourth quarter. You see him using his legs. You see him placing the football. But more importantly, throughout this game, you see ball distribution. A lot of people are involved in this offense. They are going to be very difficult to defend, and they also run it. They got a physicality at the line of scrimmage. But this is about the quarterback. Make no mistake about it."
Later in the exchange, Spears goes on to say that he's changed his stance on Lawrence, arguing thatCoen has him playing like a top-5 quarterback.
"I've been one of those detractors of Trevor Lawrence, No. 1 overall pick, all of the intangibles, the athleticism, the horn. We saw him at Clemson tear people apart, got to the league, and it's been topsy-turvy, and I know it's been some coaching situations, not the best environment. He's showing now that in a stable situation with an offensive guy that believes in all of his ability, he can play like a top-5 guy in the league. And if you look at the last three games, he is absolutely that," Spears said.
Lawrence was inconsistent early in the season, completing just 59.7 percent of his throws for nine touchdowns and six interceptions up until Week 9. The past seven games, though, he's had a completion rate of 60.5 percent, passing for 1,649 yards with 17 touchdowns and just five picks.
Trevor Lawrence is a big reason the Jaguars could make a deep playoff run
Marcus Spears is right when he says Lawrence is playing like a top-5 quarterback right now, but that wasn't the case early this season. In fact, questions surfaced about his future in Jacksonville. But like most things in life, his situation was fluid, and once he settled on Liam Coen's offense, he managed to put it together.
The fact that Lawrence began to wear a wristband has most definitely helped. Similarly, the trade for Jakobi Meyers has also been huge. When you add it all up, it's not particularly surprising to see the fifth-year quarterback take his game to the next level.
Of course, football is a team sport, and there's no doubt that the Jaguars are winning games for reasons besides Trevor Lawrence. That said, the 2021 first overall pick has played a huge role in their late-season turnaround.