Jacksonville’s defense put the Ravens in a difficult spot early in Thursday night’s game. After a punt left the Jaguars backed up near their own goal line, Kyle Hamilton brought down running back Bhayshul Tuten for a loss. Jacksonville soon faced third-and-seven from its own 7-yard line.
Hamilton lined up in the A-gap, appearing ready to rush the passer. A stop could have forced a punt and given Baltimore’s depleted offense a chance to close the gap; the Ravens trailed 10-3.
But when Trevor Lawrence looked toward Parker Washington near the first-down marker, Hamilton dropped into coverage instead. Lawrence adjusted and hit Jakobi Meyers on a deeper in-route for the first down. It was another example of the quarterback finding an answer when a defense takes away his first option.
Jacksonville went on to win 33-10, improving to 6-2 and moving four wins clear of Houston and Indianapolis in the AFC South. The division looks firmly within reach. The Colts may be preparing to sell off players before the trade deadline, while the Texans have six road games among their final ten contests. Jacksonville also has one of the league’s more favorable remaining schedules.
Still, the Jaguars’ ceiling may be higher than simply winning their division.
The Baltimore blowout followed Jacksonville’s 42-7 victory over Indianapolis in Week 8. Those wins helped push the Jaguars to the NFL’s best scoring differential, at plus-108. San Francisco ranks second at plus-58. Jacksonville has won four games by at least 21 points, including earlier routs of Cleveland and New England. No other team has more than one such win.
The Jaguars also lead the league with a plus-nine turnover margin. On defense, they rank second in points allowed, giving up 15.1 per game. Minnesota is first at 13.3.
Several broader measures point in the same direction. Jacksonville rates as the AFC’s top team in adjusted net yards per attempt on both sides of the ball, and among the NFL’s strongest overall. In a separate measure based on expected points added, the Jaguars sit alongside the league’s top teams. After Thursday’s win, they edged past San Francisco in that ranking, helped by their defensive performance against Baltimore quarterback Joe Fagnano.
Lawrence is central to the team’s rise. He has completed 65.2% of his passes for 1,932 yards and 18 touchdowns, with four interceptions. His 8.5 adjusted net yards per attempt leads the league, just ahead of Brock Purdy and Jared Goff.
Lawrence also tops the NFL in passer rating, at 111.7, adjusted yards per attempt, at 9.4, and touchdown percentage, at 8%. He ranks third in expected points added per dropback, behind Josh Allen and Purdy. He is also among the leading candidates in the current MVP odds, though there is still a lot of season left.
Coach Liam Coen deserves a share of the credit. Since taking over in Jacksonville, he has led the team to a 19-6 record. The start to his tenure was uneven, but since the Jaguars’ bye week last season, they have gone 15-3.
After Thursday’s win, Lawrence pointed to the team’s ability to be ready from the opening whistle. He said he had been on teams that started slowly and improved later in games, but this group has done a better job of coming out sharp and avoiding early deficits.
At the halfway point of the season, Jacksonville is playing like one of the NFL’s elite teams. The Jaguars have already shown they can respond to what opponents throw at them—and they appear to be building toward something bigger than a division title.
