The Jaguars have spent the first month of the season looking like a team that knows exactly who it is.
At 3-1, Jacksonville sits alone atop the AFC South and has already opened up a three-game cushion on the Houston Texans. That record doesn’t happen by accident, and the Jaguars have put together enough good football through four games to count themselves among the NFL’s best early teams.
The biggest reason is Trevor Lawrence. He’s taken a clear step, ranking top-eight in both EPA/Play and success rate among quarterbacks while operating in an aggressive offense that doesn’t lean on checkdowns or screens the way many AFC passers do.
According to NextGenStats, Lawrence has thrown downfield - 10 or more air yards - at the highest rate in the league this season at 43.3 percent. He’s completed 60.0 percent of those throws, fifth-best in the NFL, for 470 yards, 12th-most, and six touchdowns, tied for second-most.
Lawrence is the engine here, and his accuracy and decision-making have never looked better in his career. He finished last season strong, and he’s only built on that since.
The defense has its own rising star in Travis Hunter, whose work at cornerback has been remarkable. He was part of the rotation for the first two weeks, but over the last two he’s played like one of the best corners in football.
The Jaguars have stuck with him mostly at corner rather than shifting him over to wide receiver, and the payoff has been obvious. He’s changing games by getting his hands on the football at a high rate, and he’s grown on defense even faster than expected.
Jacksonville’s personnel decisions have also paid off in how the offense can line up. The Jaguars drafted Nate Boerkircher at No. 56 overall with the idea that he could expand the role of the position in the offense, and that’s exactly what has happened.
They’ve used 12 and 13 personnel more often than they did a year ago, and Boerkircher has been a big part of that shift. The Jaguars have been more explosive from 11 personnel, but the ability to pivot to different formations based on the matchup is a strong sign.
The run game has come alive too, and that was a stated offseason priority for Liam Coen after last year’s middling results. Jacksonville added Chris Rodriguez Jr. as an efficient power back and brought in run blockers Emmanuel Pregnon and Josh Cameron in the draft, but Bhayshul Tuten may be the biggest reason the ground game has taken off.
NextGenStats says Tuten has reached 15-plus mph on 19 of his 60 rushes, the most of any player. Nearly half of his rushing yards - 49.9 percent - have come after a missed tackle, the highest share in the league among players with at least 25 rushes.
On the other side of the ball, the Jaguars’ run defense has again been elite. Denver in Week 2 was the only team to find any real success on the ground against them; otherwise, Jacksonville has been suffocating rushing attacks and forcing offenses to throw.
That approach has helped create turnovers, and it’s looking increasingly clear that last year’s strong run defense wasn’t a one-off. This unit may be the best in the NFL, and the way they play is the reason why.
Not everything has gone smoothly, though. Brian Thomas Jr. has not gotten the kind of start anyone expected after a stellar offseason program and the best training camp of his career.
Through four games, he has nine catches for 105 yards and a touchdown - just over 25 yards per game. He’s tied for 61st in the league in receptions, alongside Pop Douglas, Laquon Treadwell, Kayshon Boutte, and Isaac TeSlaa.
Thomas still matters because of the speed he brings, but the ball simply has not come his way often enough.
There’s also concern around Caleb Ransaw after his knee injury in the first quarter Sunday. Ransaw missed all of his rookie season because of a training camp foot injury, then managed to play 59 snaps across the first 13 quarters this year before getting hurt against the Bengals last week.
He was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, and Liam Coen would not say whether the injury is season-ending. If it is a long-term issue, Ransaw may have only 59 real snaps across his first two seasons, which is far from ideal given how important he had been to the safety depth behind Antonio Johnson and Eric Murray.
The offensive line has been a mixed bag as well. Jacksonville entered the 2026 season with major changes, including Anton Harrison moving to left tackle, Ezra Cleveland shifting to right guard, and a rookie starting at guard in Emmanuel Pregnon.
That earns the group some patience. Still, it’s hard to ignore that its two worst games, especially in pass protection, came against the two best defensive lines it has faced.
The line has had good outings against the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, but the rough days against the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals are a warning sign.
In Other News...
Jaguars Fans Just Landed Near The Top Of A Surprising NFL List
A Harvard study taking a look at the political leanings of NFL fan bases put Jacksonville in an interesting spot, with Jaguars fans ranking near the top of the league on the Republican side of the ledger. The research also found that this kind of split usually tracks with geography, which gives the results some added context beyond the football itself.
For Jaguars supporters, the finding is less about a game-day identity than a broader snapshot of the city and region around the team. The study also came with an especially notable contrast elsewhere around the league, as Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has said he stays away from endorsing political candidates and instead encourages voter registration and independent decision-making. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fans Will Feel Mitch Morses Heartbreaking Family News
Bills center Mitch Morse shared heartbreaking family news this week, announcing the death of his younger brother Robbie, who passed away last week at age 30. Robbie lived with lifelong disabilities after suffering severe brain trauma as an infant, a personal loss that quickly drew condolences from around the league, including from the Bills, the Jaguars and former teammates.
For Jacksonville fans, it is one more reminder of how closely connected this league can be, even across opposing locker rooms. Morse has long been one of the more respected voices in the AFC, and the response to his announcement reflected the kind of support players often lean on in moments like this, when football fades into the background and family comes first. [Read more 🡒]
Liam Coens Viral Transformation Has Jaguars Fans Loving This Start
Liam Coens first season in Jacksonville has already given Jaguars fans plenty to feel good about, and the conversation around the head coach has extended beyond the sideline. After overhauling his diet and workout routine, with encouragement from Hall of Famer Tony Boselli, Coen has lost about 50 pounds, and the before-and-after photos that surfaced online quickly became a talking point among fans who are already enjoying the teams fast start.
The weight-loss buzz only adds to the broader momentum around a Jaguars team that finished 13-4 and captured the AFC South in Coens debut season. Jacksonville has also backed up the optimism with recent wins over the Bengals and Patriots, leaving the fan base focused on how far this run can go while Coens transformation continues to draw attention of its own. [Read more 🡒]