The Jacksonville Jaguars are roaring into the NFL postseason, and for the first time in two decades, the excitement in Duval County is impossible to ignore. With a 12-4 record, a franchise-best 433 points scored through 16 games, and a playoff ticket already punched, the Jaguars have become one of the league’s most compelling stories of 2025. Yet, as they prepare to lock horns with the Tennessee Titans in a crucial Week 18 matchup, not everyone is ready to give them their due.
Head coach Liam Coen, in just his first season at the helm, has steered the Jaguars to heights unseen since the early 2000s. Coen’s arrival brought a new offensive philosophy, a culture of resilience, and a commitment to living in the moment—summed up by his mantra, “CLEATS: commitment, love, energy, authentic, tough, smart.” As Coen explained in a recent press conference, “Our whole culture of CLEATS…means to be where your feet are, cleats in the ground. The next play is the most important play, and that’s got to be the way that we live, living in the moment.”
That laser focus has paid off. The Jaguars clinched a playoff spot after a gritty 23-17 win on the road against the Indianapolis Colts on December 28. Now, with one game left in the regular season—a home tilt against the Titans on January 4, 2026—Jacksonville controls its own destiny. A victory will secure the AFC South crown and guarantee a home playoff game, something fans have been craving since the team’s last division title run.
But even as the Jaguars rack up wins, break records, and silence doubters, there’s one voice in the NFL media landscape that remains stubbornly dismissive: former All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman. After Jacksonville’s latest triumph, Sherman took to Twitter to double down on his skepticism, declaring, “Lol when this franchise makes a SB game we will care about it.” For Sherman, simply making the playoffs isn’t enough—he insists the Jaguars must win the Super Bowl to earn respect. When pressed by fans about his apparent bias, Sherman didn’t back down, admitting he doesn’t care for the team or its supporters.
It’s a curious stance, especially as most analysts have come around to the Jaguars’ legitimacy. Jacksonville’s 12-win campaign is their best in 20 years, and Coen is a legitimate NFL Coach of the Year candidate. Trevor Lawrence, now in his fourth season, is playing the best football of his career, and the Jaguars’ defense, led by Anthony Campanile, is among the league’s elite units. But Sherman’s refusal to give credit where it’s due has left many scratching their heads. As one observer quipped, “Sherman will keep moving the goalpost to avoid giving the Jaguars any kind of praise, and while doing so, he’ll lose credibility as a fair and balanced observer.”
While the noise swirls outside, inside the Jaguars’ locker room the focus remains sharp. Coen and his staff have instilled a mentality that prizes preparation and resilience. The team’s offensive line, battered by injuries all season, has held firm against relentless blitzes and pressure. Coen praised their adaptability after the Colts game, noting, “They did a lot. I thought Trevor and the guys up front handled a lot of the things they were doing well. We beat the blitz a lot. They just kept bringing it. So you’re going to get some hits on the quarterback, and that’s the way it is. So I thought those guys [on the offensive line] played well.”
Much of the Jaguars’ offensive explosion can be traced to Coen’s innovative scheme and the emergence of previously unheralded playmakers. The 2025 Jaguars have set a new franchise record for points in a season, with 433 through 16 games—shattering the previous mark of 417 set in 2017. They’re ninth in the NFL in points per game at 27.1, but since their bye week, they’ve averaged nearly 32 points per contest, crossing the 30-point threshold five times in the past nine games. Contributions have come from all corners: kicker Cam Little’s field goals, Parker Washington’s electric punt returns, and even a pick-six by linebacker Devin Lloyd.
Perhaps the most remarkable development has been the rise of wide receiver Parker Washington. A sixth-round pick in 2023, Washington spent his first two seasons largely in the shadows. But in 2025, he’s become the epicenter of Jacksonville’s passing attack, especially after injuries and inconsistency sidelined other key targets. Since Week 13, Lawrence has completed 99 of 162 passes for 1,345 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just one interception—a passer rating of 109.7, third-best in the league during that span. Washington’s chemistry with Lawrence has been undeniable. In Week 16’s 34-20 win over the Denver Broncos, Washington hauled in six catches for 145 yards and a touchdown, with a staggering 90 yards coming after the catch. He followed that up with eight catches for 115 yards against the Colts in Week 17.
Coen couldn’t hide his admiration after the Broncos game: “He’s so explosive, and he’s so strong. His lower half is very explosive, he works extremely hard in the offseason to prepare, he works extremely hard during the season to prepare, to get his body right…We prepared that way all week, [we] wanted to get him involved early, and he had a look in his eye from a very early start that he was going to have a big day.”
Washington’s emergence has been all the more vital given the team’s shifting receiver landscape. Travis Hunter, a promising young receiver, was lost for the season to a knee injury in late October. Brian Thomas Jr., who dazzled as a rookie in 2024, has struggled to recapture that form. The midseason trade for Jakobi Myers proved a masterstroke; Myers has led the team in receiving since Week 10, tallying 37 catches for 439 yards and three touchdowns, and earning a three-year, $60 million extension. Yet it’s Washington’s late-season surge that has given the Jaguars’ offense a new dimension—and a new set of problems for opposing defenses.
As for the defense, Anthony Campanile’s unit continues to stifle opponents, complementing the high-octane offense with timely stops and takeaways. The Jaguars’ ability to win on the road, adapt to adversity, and rally from setbacks has defined their season. Coen reflected on this resilience, saying, “That’s the warrior mentality we’ve been talking about for quite some time…just keep competing, especially down 10 on the road. That’s a good win. Any of these are good, but to not play great in the red zone offensively and then have a little bit of a slow start as a team. I thought it was a gritty win for our guys.”
With the regular season finale looming, Coen is determined not to let his team look past the Titans. “We’re talking about going 1-0 each week, and this week’s no different,” he insisted. The stakes couldn’t be higher: a win means a division title and a home playoff game, while a loss could complicate their postseason path. For now, the Jaguars are blocking out the doubters and distractions, intent on writing the next chapter of their remarkable 2025 campaign—one play, one game at a time.
Whatever happens against Tennessee, one thing is clear: the Jaguars have already proven they belong in the NFL’s elite. The rest of the league—and maybe even Richard Sherman—will have to take notice sooner or later.
