JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser examines five key plays from the Jaguars’ 48-20 victory over the New York Jets in a 2025 Week 15 game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday

1. So.Much.Fun. The Jaguars essentially clinched Sunday's victory by halftime. They spent the second half ensuring sure that was true, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne Jr. continuing a spectacular day. After the Jets cut the Jaguars' lead to 31-13 on the first drive of the third quarter with a 51-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk, Lawrence keyed a 7-play 72-yard drive with a 39-yard pass to wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for first-and-10 at the Jets 20. Lawrence capped the drive 5 plays later with his fourth touchdown pass of the game – an 8-yarder to Etienne, the running back's second touchdown reception of the game to push the lead to 38-13. "These hands always been like that," Etienne said with a laugh after a game in which all 3 of his receptions went for touchdowns. "I've been ready for it. Just throw the ball my way, I'm going to go out there and get it." Etienne, who also caught a 20-yard first-half touchdown Sunday, closed the scoring by turning a screen pass into a 45-yard touchdown with 13:40 remaining. "We finally hit a screen for a big one there, a part of our offense that we've worked hard at and hasn't exactly been perfect by any means," Head Coach Liam Coen said, with Lawrence adding, "Travis had a great day. The plays he made, the one on the screen, the last touchdown, that was unbelievable. I thought, 'Oh, that's a good screen, 10-yard gain,' and then he slips it out and runs for 50. That was special to watch him do that."

2. Make. A. Play. The Jaguars controlled Sunday from the start – but after taking a 21-7 lead with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to running back Bhayshul Tuten early in the second quarter, their momentum waned a bit. They got it back late in the half with a huge play under adverse conditions. Lawrence on third-and-10 from the Jets 48 was under immediate pressure. He scrambled left and – still under pressure – threw deep downfield to wide receiver Parker Washington, who made a sliding reception for a 33-yard gain to the Jets 15 at the 2:00 mark. "That's him being special," Coen said of Lawrence. "That's him being a football player and making a play." Lawrence shrugged toward Coen on the sideline after the play. "They brought [a] Cover 0 [blitz], so I knew right away at the snap I was going to be hot, so just trying to create some time and let Parker get down the field," Lawrence said. "I knew that would be my answer. Just kind of shrugging like I probably should have fixed that one, the protection, but we made a play again, so just playing ball." The drive stalled, but kicker Cam Little's 33-yard field goal pushed the Jaguars' lead back to two touchdowns – 24-10 – with 1:33 remaining in the first half.

3. Wow – and making it count. If Washington's catch and Little's ensuing field goal gave the Jaguars momentum, what happened next essentially secured their fifth consecutive victory and sixth in seven games. The Jets took possession at their 35-yard line with 1:33 remaining – and on the second play of the ensuing series, cornerback Montaric Brown turned in a remarkable diving interception off a pass from quarterback Brady Cook to wide receiver Adonois Mitchell. "It was crazy," Brown said of the play, on which the ball bounced on his arm just before he got his hands underneath for the interception. That gave the Jaguars possession at their 47 with 1:07 remaining in the second quarter. Lawrence's 20-yard touchdown pass to Etienne capped the ensuing 5-play drive and pushed the lead to 31-10 with :21 remaining in the half. Coen said Etienne ran a "great route" on the play. "He just stuttered his feet, got the linebacker to stop and beat him over the top," Coen said. Key play of the drive: A 20-yard run by Lawrence that gave the Jaguars first-and-10 at the Jets 32. Lawrence rushed for 51 yards on 5 carries Sunday.

4. Big early stop. The Jaguars already had a lead and momentum early in the first quarter. They extended the lead and increased it with a big play from the defense and another from Lawrence. The Jets on their first possession faced fourth-and-1 from the Jaguars 44, with running back Breece Hall running right from there. Defensive end Travon Walker tripped Hall for a 6-yard loss. "We had to get off the field, and then obviously, [defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile] gave us a call," Walker said. "It's all about going out there and executing the call, and that was really it. Coach put me in that position to make the play, and I finished it." The Jaguars quickly drove for a double-digit lead, with Lawrence scrambling for a 15-yard touchdown on third-and-13 to push the Jaguars' lead to 14-0. Key play on the drive: A 21-yard pass from Lawrence to wide receiver Jakobi Meyerson second-and-5 from the Jets 33.

5. Methodical, effective. The Jaguars established momentum early Sunday, opting to take the ball after winning the toss for the fourth time this season. They followed that with a methodical, effective drive – with Lawrence looking particularly impressive. Lawrence completed 5 of 6 passes for 52 yards on the drive, with key completions of 15 yards and 16 yards to wide receivers Meyers and Thomas converting second downs into first downs. The Jaguars did not face a third down on the 9-play, 72-yard drive and Lawrence capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Thomas to give the Jaguars a 7-0 lead with 10:18 remaining in the first quarter. "You want to start fast and finish even faster, so I think that was pretty big," Meyers said of the start. "Hopefully, we can keep starting like that, keep making plays, moving down the field and setting the team up right."