Seven of the Jaguars’ last 10 regular-season games have ended with Trevor Lawrence handing things off to the backup quarterback. That is not a normal stretch in the NFL, and it says plenty about where this team is right now.
The past two weeks have only sharpened that picture. Jacksonville went up against the two teams that met in last year’s AFC championship game, and the results were mixed but revealing.
The Jaguars couldn’t finish the job against the Broncos last week, but they followed that with a lopsided win over the Patriots in Jacksonville. It was such a thorough beating that Lawrence could afford to take a knee at the Patriots’ 1-yard line with eight minutes still left.
That’s the kind of performance that makes the point for you. This is an elite group, and the last two weeks have shown the Jaguars are ready to compete at the top of the AFC.
They may also be getting better as they go.
Travis Hunter has been a source of constant hand-wringing, with the focus landing on his snap count, where he lines up, and when he’s being used. But he answered all of that the simplest way possible: by going out and grabbing an interception.
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but listen closely: Travis Hunter is good at football. That’s it. That’s the take.
The bigger message is to stop overthinking it. Hunter is still less than a year removed from a major knee injury, and there’s no reason to force the issue or add unnecessary strain while the Jaguars are still winning. When a team is putting games away like this, it can afford to be patient with a player it’s going to need in January - and, if things go the way they want, in February too.
In Other News...
Jaguars Get Their Biggest Early Test Yet With AFC South Stakes Rising
The Jaguars head into Week 4 with a chance to measure just how real this fast start is, and the stakes are already pointing beyond one Sunday. Jacksonville and Cincinnati each sit at 2-1, which makes this matchup feel less like a mid-September tune-up and more like an early checkpoint in the AFC race, especially with the Jaguars showing real teeth on defense. Jacksonvilles pass defense has been one of the leagues best so far, sitting first in EPA per pass, and that kind of efficiency changes the way opponents have to attack.
Cincinnati brings its own pressure into the meeting, even after a Week 3 defensive step backward that raised a few questions about where this team is headed. The matchup comes with the usual layers of quarterback and personnel intrigue, but it also has the kind of betting interest that tends to follow games with division and playoff implications attached this early. For Jacksonville, the bigger question is whether the defense has truly established itself as a week-to-week edge, or whether this is the first test that forces the Jaguars to answer for more than just a strong opening month. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Are Off To A Strong Start But One Doubt Remains
Through three weeks of the 2026 season, Jacksonville has done enough to stay in the early Super Bowl conversation. The Jaguars are 2-1, and Trevor Lawrence has steered the offense efficiently enough to keep them in the mix while other contenders around the league have already taken on some early damage.
Still, the opening month has only sharpened the question that follows any fast start in September: how real is it? Seattle is also 2-1 despite a recent loss, and Cincinnati is right there too even after a surprising setback to Pittsburgh, so the Jaguars are hardly alone near the top of the standings. For Jacksonville, the challenge now is proving that this is more than a good September run and something that can hold up as the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Fast Start Is Creating A Bigger Contender Debate
The Jaguars fast start has done more than pad the standings. After their Week 3 win over the Patriots, Jacksonville piled up a stack of franchise and league marks that have turned a good opening into a legitimate talking point around the NFL. Liam Coen also reached 15 wins faster than any coach in franchise history, a reminder that this team is moving at a pace the organization has not seen in a while.
A six-game home winning streak and a defense that has been shutting down the run while creating takeaways have helped fuel the surge, and the national power rankings have started to reflect it, with Jacksonville landing anywhere from fifth to 10th. The next question is the one that tends to follow every hot September in Jacksonville: whether this start is just a strong opening or the first real evidence that the Jaguars belong in the contender conversation for real. [Read more 🡒]