JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser examines five memorable plays by the special teams that helped define the Jaguars' 2025 AFC South Championship season.
1. Record-breaker. The Jaguars made a slew of memorable special-teams plays in 2025, with one standing out from the rest. Second-year kicker Cam Little's 68-yard field goal against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9 not only set the NFL record for longest field goal, it keyed the Jaguars' critical 30-29 road overtime victory. "That was what ignited us, I think," Head Coach Liam Coen said of Little's 68-yarder on the final play of the first half that broke the former record of 66 yards set by former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker in 2021. "I kicked it straight," Little said. "It kind of just stayed left-middle deep the whole time. It didn't really draw much. Once [punter/holder] Logan [Cooke] threw his arms up, I kind of had an idea it was going in. You go so far back and that ball takes a long time for it to get there. You don't want to ever celebrate too early before the kick goes in. Once I saw it clear the crossbar, obviously that's when I knew it was good." Little joked afterward that his pre-kick thoughts were: "Crap, this is a 68-yarder." Little entered the game having missed three of his last six field-goal attempts, missing a 50-yard field goal in each of the previous two games – losses to the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. "Everybody's been trying to get us to lose confidence in him; we have never lost confidence in him," Coen said at the time, with Little adding, "This organization, from top to bottom, from front office to coaching staff to players, has instilled so much confidence in me through adversity that I've faced – really, for the first time in my career. They let me know how much confidence they have in me. I'm forever indebted to this place."
2. All the way by the bay. Wide receiver Parker Washington made big plays offensively and on special teams throughout 2025. His memorable special-teams moments included a huge play in a 31-26 Week 5 road victory over the San Francisco 49ers. With the Jaguars leading by six late in the third quarter, and with the 49ers having inched into the game after trailing by double digits, Washington took a punt at the Jaguars 13-yard line. He then weaved through a gaping hole in the coverage and outran the 49ers to the end zone for an 87-yard touchdown and a 26-14 Jaguars lead with 2:22 remaining in the third quarter. "He stuck his foot in the ground and got vertical," Coen said, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence calling the play "huge" and adding that "special teams made a bunch of big plays today." Running back Bhayshul Tuten in the game also set up a field goal with a 54-yard first-half kickoff return. "Our return game was really positive, obviously," Coen said.
3. P-Dub again. Washington turned in another key special-teams play in a 36-29 Week 10 road loss to the Houston Texans. The Jaguars led 10-0 when Washington caught a punt at the Jaguars 27-yard line, started slightly to his left, then weaved right through the coverage for a touchdown and a 17-0 lead with 11:40 remaining in the first half. It was Washington's second touchdown of the game and his second punt return touchdown of the season – his third punt return for a touchdown over the last two seasons. "Parker played great," Lawrence said of Washington, who caught three passes for 33 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Texans – and who led the team with 58 receptions for 847 yards and five touchdowns for the season. "He obviously was a bright spot of a rough day. He did some great things and is continuing to play well."
4. Trammell versus Vegas. Little's record field goal was critical in the victory over the Raiders. Also key: A 54-yard kickoff return by wide receiver Austin Trammell to start overtime, a return through a well-blocked hole to give the Jaguars first-and-10 at the Raiders 44. Lawrence's 1-yard run capped a 10-play 44-yard drive that gave the Jaguars a 30-23 lead. "Huge play," Coen said of Trammell's return.
5. Fifty-two times two. Little made headlines with kicks over 60 yards in 2025, but two short field goals mattered just as much. These came in a critical 27-24 road overtime road victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Lawrence threw three touchdowns with three interceptions in the game, rallying the Jaguars twice from two four-point deficits. Key to the victory: A 52-yard field goal by Little in the second quarter that gave the Jaguars a 10-7 lead and a 52-yarder with 7:46 remaining in overtime to give the Jaguars a three-point lead they secured with a stop on the ensuing possession.
5a. Little from 67. Little on the final play of the first half of a 41-7 Week 18 home victory over the Tennessee Titans kicked a 67-yard field goal for a 31-7 Jaguars lead. It was the second-longest field goal in NFL history – second only to Little's 68-yarder in Las Vegas – and the longest outdoor field goal in NFL history. "I probably caught this one a little cleaner [than the 68-yarder]," Little said. "The wind was kind of blowing a couple directions the whole game. In this stadium, it swirls normally. I played the wind probably perfect on this kick. But I like the way I hit this ball probably a little better."
