JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton and team reporter Kainani Stevens offer quick thoughts on the Jaguars’ 35-6 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in a 2025 Week 11 game at EverBank Stadium Sunday
John Oehser, Jaguars Senior Writer…
1. Impressive. Really impressive. The Jaguars' victory Sunday was more than one-sided and more than a game that kept them very much in the AFC playoff chase. It was an impressive, complete, dominant victory over an AFC contender – and one that the team absolutely needed considering the very adverse circumstances of the past week. The overriding, clear theme entering Sunday was whether the Jaguars could move on positively from a disheartening, gutting loss to the Houston Texans last Sunday – a loss in which the Jaguars squandered a 19-point fourth-quarter lead and the sort of loss that can ruin a season. "They knew we needed to respond," Head Coach Liam Coen said. "That's really what it came down to. When you have guys out there playing for each other, playing for the greater cause with a team-first mentality … that's what it was. I was really proud of them." Credit Coen and this entire Jaguars team for the performance Sunday. Not only did the Jaguars dominate a contender, they did it in physical fashion. They also did it with multiple key injuries. "Everybody knew what we did last Sunday in the fourth quarter and we didn't want to replicate that," running back Travis Etienne Jr. said. "Coach emphasized that. Everybody understood their assignment and went out there and execute." The Houston loss could have defined the season and could have set the franchise's build back significantly. That the Jaguars responded with their most impressive victory in recent memory bodes well not only for this season, but the long-term future of this improving, building team.
2. Physical. Really physical. What was as impressive for the Jaguars Sunday as beating a playoff contender was how they won. The Jaguars from the start on Sunday out-physicaled the Chargers, turning in a dominant defensive performance – and running as effectively as they have in any game since early in the season. "That's where we won the game, I thought," Coen said. "That's where we imposed our will a little bit there, on the OL and DL." When the Jaguars look back at their 2025 season, they will point to this game as one in which they played very close – if not exactly – to their identity as a tough, physical, running team. "The whole group up front was great," quarterback Trevor Lawrence said, speaking specifically of the offensive line but describing both units. The Jaguars outrushed the Chargers, 192-42. They outgained them, 345-135. They had 30 first downs to eight for the Chargers. Their day was perhaps defined by a 16-play, 76-yard drive that drained 9:18 from the clock and gave the Jaguars a 28-6 lead with 11:38 remaining. If the game wasn't already over, it was when Lawrence capped that drive with a 1-yard play-action pass to wide receiver Tim Patrick. Dominant stuff. Impressive stuff. A big-time day.
Brian Sexton, Senior Correspondent…
1. This win is on Coen. He pushed his team through a tough loss to a huge win. The Chargers pulled quarterback Justin Herbert with almost the entire fourth quarter remaining. It was an incredible performance in all three phases – and in my mind, we'll point to this as the game this became Coen's team, when it rallied without key starters on both sides of the ball to beat one of the AFC's hottest quarterbacks and best teams. This is a signature win because they started fast and never let up. I have been impressed with Coen since the spring and believed this was going to be a measuring-stick game for the first-year head coach. I believe the Jaguars have found their Mike Tomlin or Jim Harbaugh – a long-term leader.
2. Congratulations to Josh Hines-Allen for a great performance and becoming the franchise's all-time leader in sacks. He didn't play well at all in the loss in Houston but came out on fire, hurrying and harassing Herbert throughout. He wasn't alone, with the entire front playing well -- from end Travon Walker to tackle Arik Armstead to rookie Danny Striggow, who had a couple of nice rushes to move Herbert off his spot. But it was Hines-Allen who was clearly aggravated by what happened last Sunday. Great players have bad days, but never back-to-back. He was outstanding and led the way for a defense that shut down Los Angeles entirely.
Kainani Stevens, Jaguars Team Reporter/Producer...
1. Nothing fancy, just good, old-fashioned, pound-the-rock football. The Jaguars had quite a bit stacked against them this week, with a long list of injuries and a talented opponent in the Chargers. Coen's team reverted back to the offensive identity the coaching staff wanted to establish all the way back in the offseason: Establishing the run. Running backs Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten combined for 147 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The offensive line blocked well even without starting right tackle Anton Harrison and starting tight end Brenton Strange. The Jaguars nearly doubled the Chargers' time of possession and kept control throughout the entire game. The Jags weren't fancy, but they got the job done Sunday.
2. Redemption day for the Jaguars defense. A frustrating finish in Houston last week had the Jaguars' defense more motivated than ever to prove that meltdown against the Texans was an anomaly and not the beginning of a trend. Dominant from beginning to end, Jacksonville kept the Chargers out of the end zone, while also holding them to just eight first downs and 135 yards on offense. The Jaguars had three sacks, including one by Hines-Allen that put him in sole possession of the franchise all-time sack record. Overall, this was a strikingly different performance than we saw one week ago and a promising omen going into the final seven weeks of the season.
