JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Darren from Jacksonville
If the Jags lose on Sunday, is the season considered a success?
How something is "considered" depends on who's doing the considering, and there certainly will be people calling the AFC South Champion Jaguars (13-3) "failures" if they lose to the wild-card Buffalo Bills (12-5) in an AFC Wild Card Playoff game at EverBank Stadium Sunday. Still, considering what the Jaguars have accomplished this season – the second-best record in franchise history, the fifth division title in franchise history, the second-longest winning streak in franchise history, etc., establishing a foundation for the future – one would hope the vast majority of people would see things logically and reasonably, and realize that the Jaguars' 2025 season whatever happens moving forward has been an unequivocable success. Depending on logic and reason is risky stuff. Proceed at your peril.
Brian from Round Rock, TX
Not missing on first-round picks and re-signing them seems like a formula for success. We have some first-round picks that need to be re-signed ASAP. Will it happen?
The Jaguars will face some difficult decisions in the 2026 offseason. I expect fans will like some decisions and not like some decisions. The postseason is often difficult for successful teams with good, young players.
JohnnyD from Cedar Rapids, IA
Etienne MUST get his game face on and have a great game. Bills are going to run the ball a lot. We need more rushing yards than them.
I expect Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. to be motivated Sunday and to play well. It's not as much about Etienne outrushing Bills running back James Cook in this game as it is Etienne and the Jaguars running well enough to establish their offense and then be able to work the entire offense off that. The Jaguars for the most part have done that well this season and it will be key again Sunday.
Mark from Archer
John. Wow, not a single All-Pro from the Jaguars. Not even our kicker, who set two records this season. This is why the All-Pro and Pro Bowl stuff is junk.
Humans vote and humans make mistakes. This is why honors such as Pro Bowl, All-Pro and Hall of Fame aways will always have elements of frustration and unfairness compared to on-field results. Worry about what you can control. You can control getting into the postseason. Once there, you can control what happens a lot more than you can control voting. (Editor's note: long snapper Ross Matiscik was named first-team All-Pro and linebacker Devin Lloyd was named second-team All-Pro.)
Robert from Jacksonville
O-Zone: I have a bone to pick. The Tennessee game was called the "most important game in franchise history." Now I see that the Bills game is the "most important game in franchise history." The Jaguars have played in three AFC Championship Games. Don't you go to the Super Bowl if you win that one? At best, this is the fourth "most important game in franchise history." Go Jags!
Sunday's game against the Bills is the most important game in franchise history. If the Jaguars win, the following weekend's game in the AFC Divisional Playoff will be the most important game in franchise history. If the Jaguars lose Sunday, the 2026 regular-season opener will be the most important game in franchise history.
John from Jax
Hi, KOAGF. I know we are not supposed to look ahead, but is my logic correct? IF we win against Buffalo at home this Sunday, and IF we win against Denver on the road next weekend, the Jags will host the AFC Championship game at home IF New England is not the opponent. Agree?
There is no logic needed here. The Jaguars are the AFC's No. 3 seed. Any Jaguars postseason game not against No. 1-seeded Denver Broncos or No. 2 seeded New England Patriots will be in Jacksonville.
Tony from Johns Creek, GA
O, the Bills lost five games. They can be beaten. Go Jags!
Of course the Bills can be beaten Sunday. The Jaguars also can be beaten. There are two good teams in this game. One will lose and one will win. The outcome won't mean one team is awesome and the other team sucks. It will mean a good team beat another good team.
Wayne from Jacksonville
Hey, John. Just wanted you to know you are definitely a truck (and not a trailer) of the sports-media realm.
I am the king of all trucks.
Chris from Columbus, OH
Not a Jags question, but wanting to tap your 30-plus years of reporting on this game; were there any of the head coach firings that have surprised you so far? I was a little surprised about Stefanski and Harbaugh.
The Ravens firing John Harbaugh as head coach didn't surprise me as much as it seemed indicative of the short-sighted nature of the modern NFL. He has been one of the most-consistent, successful head coaches in the NFL for two decades and he apparently now has forgotten how to do his job. It's wild stuff.
John from Merritt Island
Stopped into Strings for a quick Bullet Bob on my way home. Gotta love the name of their new beer, "Small Market Blond." Good times ahead.
Strings beer is cool. Senior writers like it.
Bradley from Death Valley, CA
I noticed John Harbaugh, one of the best coaches of all-time, was fired and teams with vacancies are supposedly clamoring. Why did the Ravens not trade him? I believe Jon Gruden was traded for a first-round round pick. Wouldn't Harbaugh be worth that to multiple teams?
Because if teams knew the Ravens wanted to trade Harbaugh they would just wait until they fired him instead of trading for him.
Darius from New Milford, NJ
I'm reading a lot about our running game needing to be better. While I agree to an extent, I have a theory that I'd like to know if you agree with. After all, Etienne was Top 5 in rushing yards and yards per attempt the first few weeks of the season. Could it be that teams have sold out to stop the run and force quarterback Trevor Lawrence to beat them through the air? He responded LOUD AND CLEAR that he can, but maybe defenses have still hesitated to honor that, thinking he will soon turn back to the mistakes he's made in years past and the beginning of the season. So, if they still want to sell out to stop the run, and the pass is working phenomenally, why run the ball more than is necessary? I feel we can and will run the ball more effectively if/when defenses respect Trevor and play to defend the pass more. Valid, or no?
This is a valid point. Teams certainly know that the Jaguars consider themselves a run-centric team and they therefore know they must stop the run when playing the Jaguars. This forces them to honor the run, which means there remains an element of teams "making Lawrence beat them" even after he repeatedly proved he can do so. It does stand to reason that the Jaguars can be more effective running if/when teams stop "selling out" against the run so much. Still, the Jaguars want to run better than they have run in recent weeks. As Coen has put it, they still believe there is more "meat on the bone" in this area. Stay tuned.
Stephen from JACKSONVILLE
Should I bring a fire extinguisher to the tailgate Sunday?
If you like.
Josh from Atlanta, GA
Perusing through the myriad stats of teams in the bracket, I was curious your take on one. "The Jaguars are third in the league with 222 quarterback pressures, but they're 27th with 32 sacks". Obviously the rush is good, just wondering how we can get home more frequently in the playoffs. Other than "get home" or "actually bring the QB down," anything specific you think can and/or will be done?
This is yet another example of sacks, while important, being one of the NFL's most overrated statistics. I realize most fans never will accept or understand this and I hesitate to write that for fear of restarting a tiresome O-Zone debate, but it's true. Being a standout pressure team is infinitely better than being a standout sacks team. You can control being a good pressure team. It's sometimes hard to control a circumstantial statistic such as sacks. How do the Jaguars get more sacks in the postseason? Keep pressuring. Get leads. Get opponents in negative down-and-distances. The sacks will come. And if they don't, the opposing quarterbacks will be under enough pressure to be less effective. That's the goal.
Brad from The Avenues
Hey, John. I don't know if anyone else feels this way but I kind of feel that the regular season, with its early ups and downs leading to its latter half coming together, has kind of felt like training camp for the post season. And it's been a goooood camp. Now let's show- m all what we've got. DUUUVAL!!!
Brad is ready for some football.
