The Jacksonville Jaguars found ways to win early in the season, but they weren't particularly consistent. The offense, in particular, was hindered by drops and penalties. However, the Jags picked up steam during the BYE and haven't had trouble putting points on the scoreboard during their five-game winning streak.
Not surprisingly, prominent analysts are starting to pay attention to Jacksonville's success. Mina Kimes of ESPN was the latest to talk about what makes their offense so productive.
Jakobi Meyers has been a difference-maker for the Jaguars
On her podcast, Mina Kimes highlighted Jacoby Meyers' impact on the Jacksonville offense, noting that his ability to operate in the middle of the field has allowed Brian Thomas Jr. to play in the boundaries, where he's at his best. Here's the skinny.
"I love the way the Jacoby Myers addition suddenly moved everybody into the right role," Mines told cohost Dominique Foxworth. "He allows Brian Thomas Jr. to do the things he's good at, working downfield, working outside, and then Trevor seems like he has complete conviction in the offense that Liam Coen's throwing up."
Foxworth then argues that Meyers should be seen as a bonafide No. 1, noting that he's been a difference-maker on the Jacksonville offense.
"I mean, you talked about [Courtland] Sutton as being like a true No. 1. I don't think we think of Jacoby Myers that way, but he sure seems like it right now, that he's a hell of a difference maker. But when that trade was made, no one was thinking like, 'Oh my gosh.' It's not like when Amari Cooper moved to Dallas midseason, and things changed, but it does feel like it's had that effect," Foxworth said.
Later in the exchange, Foxworth points out that Trevor Lawrence's play in recent weeks goes beyond Liam Coen's scheme, noting that he's making plays only the top quarterbacks can pull off.
"I think we should take a second to really talk about how impressive Trevor Lawrence has been, and I think Liam Cohen deserves some scheme credit, but there's some stuff in this tape where you just you can lift it out and put it up against any place that you've ever seen, against any player where it's like Trevor running the ball."
Foxworth continued, "Trevor throwing on the run is the type of stuff that we lose our minds about, because only Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes can do Trevor was the guy. He's the No. 1 overall pick, college champ, where we were like, Yeah, this is a can't miss guy. We saw it. We've seen it for a couple weeks now. Having the ability to do what other people can't do. So fun to watch, and so impressive and so encouraging."
Matt Ryan, Dan Orlovsky, and Bill Cowher have sung similar praise of Lawrence and the Jaguars. And rightly so, as the Jaguars have averaged 32.8 points since their BYE. In that snap, No. 16 has completed 61.1 percent of his throws for 1,590 yards with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Related: Dan Orlovsky doubles down on a Trevor Lawrence take that has Jags fans buzzing
Liam Coen has unlocked the Jaguars offense true potential
Heading into the Broncos game, the Jaguars rank eighth in points scored and 16th in total yards. It took them a bit to get their offense going, but they're clicking on all cylinders just ahead of the game. There's no doubt that Liam Coen's coaching has made the difference, but that's not the only reason for their recent success.
As Coen himself stated, the likes of Trevor Lawrence and Brian Thomas Jr. have performed better because they weren't deterred by the slow start and have instead put in the work throughout the season. On the other hand, Jakobi Meyer's arrival cannot be overstated.
The seventh-year receiver has changed the outlook of the offense and is quickly reshaping Jacksonville's offseason plans. When you add it all up, it's easy to see why the Jags are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now.
Next, the Jaguars will get a prime opportunity to prove they're legit when they take on the Denver Broncos. Already, they're getting plenty of attention, but a win will take the hype to unreal levels.