The Jaguars have already done the hard part of Week 9. Their 33-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football pushed them to 6-2, and now they get to spend Sunday and Monday watching the rest of the league hand them opportunities.
That matters in two places at once. Jacksonville can keep tightening its grip on the AFC South, and it can also improve its standing in the wider race for top AFC seeding. On top of that, the early-week schedule gives the Jaguars a head start on the trade deadline, with Sunday’s results potentially nudging other teams toward selling.
Start with the AFC South, where the Jaguars still can’t assume anything, but their lead changes the way the rest of the league looks. Winning the division would lock Jacksonville into a top-four seed in the AFC, but the bigger prize is still in play.
The Chiefs have spent much of the season near the top of the conference, and an upset loss to the New York Jets would help the Jaguars’ push for the No. 1 seed in the AFC - or better. If Jacksonville ends up meeting Kansas City in the playoffs, EverBank Stadium is a lot more appealing than a trip to Kansas City.
There’s also the Texans angle, and that one is simple. If the Los Angeles Chargers beat Houston, it would hand the Texans another loss they can’t really afford after their 2-5 start. More Texans losses would move the Jaguars closer to clinching the AFC South for the second straight year, something they have never done.
The deadline picture is just as interesting. The Chargers are the kind of team that may not move off its current plan no matter how ugly the record gets, so their result may not matter much for Jacksonville’s shopping list. But if they do beat Houston, that’s another hit to a Texans team that can’t keep bleeding losses.
One of the more intriguing names to watch is Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo. He has been one of Philadelphia’s most consistent defensive tackles this season despite playing alongside Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, and there is a real chance he lands a $100 million deal this March somewhere.
The question is whether another loss in the NFC East could push Philadelphia toward moving him. The Eagles have not usually been the kind of team to wave the white flag in season, but they have major financial decisions ahead and plenty of questions about what comes next.
A loss would be a pretty clear sign that the 2026 party is over, if they do not already know it.
The Jaguars should also be rooting for the Bills to keep losing over the next two months. That sounds strange, but it makes sense in the seeding race.
Buffalo beat Jacksonville in last year’s Wild Card round in Jacksonville, but that had more to do with Josh Allen going supernova. The Jaguars would rather avoid a road game against Allen in the playoffs, and Buffalo’s second-half schedule looks tough.
Then there’s Arizona safety Budda Baker, who could finally be available after years of losing if the Cardinals take another hit against the Seattle Seahawks. For Jacksonville, that would matter because of Eric Murray’s season-ending injury. The Jaguars have a clear need in the secondary, and Baker would fit that picture perfectly during a playoff push.
One game may be the best outcome of all for Jacksonville: Panthers-Broncos. The Jaguars would like Carolina to lose, since that could bring the Panthers closer to selling if a Derrick Brown move becomes possible.
But a Broncos loss would also help Jacksonville in the AFC seeding race. In that one, a tie might be the cleanest answer.
In Other News...
Jaguars Are Forcing Their Way Into The AFC Contender Debate
Through eight weeks, the AFC picture has started to sort itself out, and Jacksonville has pushed its way into the conversation with the kind of steady, competitive play that demands attention. The Jaguars are being discussed alongside the Chiefs and Bills now, not as a novelty but as a team with enough substance to belong in the same broader contender debate, thanks to the way they have handled key moments and shown balance on both sides of the ball.
The bigger question is how real that standing is when the field gets tighter and the playoff race starts to sharpen. The Jaguars have earned a seat at the table, but the next stretch will reveal whether they are simply part of the early-season discussion or a team built to stay in it when the AFC race turns from interesting to unforgiving. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Face One Trade Deadline Decision They Really Cant Miss
With the NFL trade deadline nearing, the Jaguars are taking a measured approach rather than chasing a splashy move for the sake of it. Liam Coen and the front office have made it clear that any addition has to make sense on the field and in the locker room, with fit and chemistry carrying as much weight as talent. For a team trying to keep its momentum intact, that kind of restraint matters.
Jacksonville has seen enough around the league to know deadline deals can cut both ways, and the last thing it wants is a move that unsettles the roster or muddies the culture it has built. The Jaguars are looking for players who can blend in quickly and strengthen what is already there, not someone who forces a reset. In a deadline market that often tempts teams into overreaching, the bigger decision may be knowing exactly what not to do. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Face A Surprising Brian Thomas Jr Decision As Deadline Nears
The Jaguars have spent the season trying to add around the edges as they push to stay in the competitive mix, but Brian Thomas Jr. has become one of the more surprising names to watch as the deadline approaches. Even with Jacksonville reluctant to move him, the wideouts role in the offense has shrunk enough that his future has turned into a real talking point inside a team that still has bigger goals in front of it.
Reports now point toward a trade being likely, with a noncontending team emerging as a possible landing spot if Jacksonville decides to make the move. For a club that has been focused on strengthening the roster rather than subtracting from it, the decision would say plenty about how Thomas fits into the offense right now and how quickly the Jaguars are willing to adjust before the deadline passes. [Read more 🡒]