JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Paul from Washington, D.C.
Did this season seem more impressive than 1999? Then-Jaguars Head Coach Tom Coughlin built the 1999 team over multiple playoff seasons into a juggernaut. For my long-suffering Jags money, Head Coach Coen turned the 2025 team into the most impressive regular-season team in Jaguars history.
The Jaguars (13-4) will play the Buffalo Bills (12-5) in an AFC Wild Card Playoff at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday. That's the subject that matters right now – but in the interest of taking a quick look back before looking ahead … yes, from this view this 2025 season is definitely the most impressive regular season in franchise history. While this Jaguars team won one fewer game than the 14-2 1999 team that holds the franchise record for most victories in a season, this team won its 13 games against a significantly tougher schedule. The 1999 team played just one team with a winning record during the regular season, losing twice to the 13-3 Tennessee Titans. The 2025 team beat five playoff teams – the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers – with the Texans, Broncos, 49ers and Chargers all winning 11 or more games. This Jaguars team also won on the road at strong Broncos and 49ers teams. This doesn't mean the 1999 team wasn't good. It remains from this view the best team in franchise history and was probably better in terms of front-line talent than this Jaguars team. But the 2025 season has been more impressive than 1999.
Anita from Springfield
Of course we got the early Sunday window for our game ... to be honest, I feel like the Jags and Bills are the best teams in the AFC playoffs. NFL just wasted what's going to be the best game in the AFC playoffs with the worst window of the week.
I've received multiple emails along these lines since the NFL announced dates and times for Wild Card weekend. But while I understand people's fascination with prime-time slots – and while I understand Jaguars fans' need to believe they are insulted and disrespected at every turn – the NFL and its partner stations consider the Sunday 1 p.m. slot as important as the others. But this is really so much water-cooler and Twitter banter. There's no such thing as bad windows for the postseason. Six games will be played. The football world will watch them all. Not that the Jaguars won't use this perceived slight as fuel. Whatever works.
Sean from Oakleaf, FL
Not the same old Jags. First 10 conference win season this century! The Jaguars have never gone 4- in the Western time zones before (San Francisco, Arizona, Denver, Las Vegas) until this year.
At no point during the 2025 regular season has this been the "Same old Jaguars." Put it away. It's in the past.
Josh from Atlanta, GA
How good is this team? Capable of beating any team in the NFL right now. Will they do it? Who the hell knows? We could go out there and lay an egg Sunday, which I just don't see happening, but it would not take away the vision for those of us long-sighted folks. Regardless of how this season finishes, while no season is a given in the NFL, the Jaguars are for real now and for the foreseeable future. It's truly beautiful. NOW, let's go win the damn thing, NOW.
Josh is ready for some football …
Dan from Madrid
I have the feeling John if we play good this coming Sunday and manage to beat quarterback Josh Allen and his Bills, we are going to the Super Bowl. Like Executive Vice President Tony Boselli says, this is the most important game in franchise history and this time is for real.
… and so is Dan.
Daniel from Johnston, IA
We won the division, why does it feel like Houston won the playoff draw?
Don't worry about draws. Win and move on. The goal is the Super Bowl. You have to beat the best teams to get there. Where and when you beat them doesn't matter.
Dan from Jax
I feel like the Jags are represented by Charlie Brown and Lucy Van Pelt is holding the football.
I honestly wonder if you've seen a Jaguars game.
Taylor from Columbia, MD
This is going to be unpopular and is somewhat hard to admit, but Trent Baalke actually drafted extremely well. Sometimes it really IS coaching. I also love General Manager James Gladstone but felt the need to acknowledge that. Thanks!
Why would this be hard to admit? Former Jaguars General Manager Trent Baalke certainly selected a lot of good players during his tenure. He generally conducted the draft in good, philosophical fashion and there's no reason to not acknowledge that. This doesn't mean coaching was the only issue in past seasons, and it doesn't mean change wasn't needed last offseason.
Wes from Ponte Vedra, FL
How does ESPN calculate their "FPI chance to make the Super Bowl? Thirteen percent for Jacksonville seems low, but I am admittedly very biased in my outlook for this team.
I haven't the foggiest idea what FPI means. That's first. I haven't the foggiest idea how ESPN calculates FPI, whatever it is FPI means. The Jaguars play the Bills Sunday. I know the winner of that game has 100 percent chance of playing the following week.
Colin from Sanford
Hey, John. I know the rules around gambling are very strict in the NFL (for good reason), but is Liam Coen even allowed to mention to the players that we opened up as underdogs against the Bills? Seems like a pretty good nugget for a team that feeds on disrespect.
Yes, coaches can mention if their teams are favored or not.
Brendan from Yulee
Annoyed at the prime-time snub! How different is this year's Bills team compared to the one that bent the Jags over last season? Kind of nervous, KOAF!
The Bills have been good for seven seasons and are still good, with the primary difference being a very good New England Patriots won the AFC East and pushed the Bills into a wild-card position. The Bills throttled the Jaguars to the tune of 47-10 in Orchard Park, N.Y., in Week 3 last season – one of the more one-sided, embarrassing losses in Jaguars history. The biggest difference between that game and Sunday's game? The Jaguars are significantly better. Put the ball on the tee and kick it off.
Jax
Exciting times! With six Wild Card Weekend games and only one 1 p.m. slot available, Johnny O won the lottery.
I am the king of all funk.
Pete from Daytona Beach
O-Mighty Zone, can you explain how the sixth-seeded Buffalo Bills are favorites against the No. 3 seed Jaguars Jacksonville??? I guess this all falls back on small-market disrespect.
The oddsmakers believe the Bills are better than the Jaguars, I guess. My sense this is more about respect for the Bills' recent history, the presence of Allen at quarterback for the Bills and a lack of knowledge about the Jaguars than it is about market size. Buffalo, remember, is considered a smaller market than Jacksonville.
Jim from Neptune Beach
This year has been so fantastic. Great for the fans, of course, and also for the team. But a special appreciation to Jaguars Owner Shad Khan for what he has done for the team and the city. He has earned this as much as anyone, and here's hoping he gets more over the next few weeks!
One fer Shad. Well-earned and well done.
Pedal Bin from Farnborough, Hampshire, UK
Oh Mighty 'O' / King Of All Funk, 13 Wins and AFC South Champions. One Pro Bowl Selection, our long snapper. Guess we might as well win the Super Bowl. Maybe then someone outside Duval will take notice of this "Small Market Team."
They're noticing. If the Jaguars win in the postseason, they'll notice more.
Jerell from Columbia SC
How many Super Bowls will Liam win after the jags win this one? I say seven or eight over a nine-year period.
When it comes to confidence in Coen, Jerell – like Don and disturbingly uncharacteristically – remains "all in."
Grayson from Franklin, TN
Should Jag fans be worried that our run game needs to show more yards averaged per carry? Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is making great throws but that hasn't been enough to balance out and get better run game numbers for our running backs?
The Jaguars would like to run more effectively than they have run in recent weeks and it's always better to run effectively than run effectively. They will continue to work on this area and emphasize it. Quarterbacks and receivers playing at a high level can convert first downs and drain clock and win playoff games in the fourth quarter.
Shawn from Moore County, NC
What an awesome season. Does the KOAF get a bonus for the Jags winning the division? Clearly your column inspired the Jags.
What's a "bonus?"
