The Jacksonville Jaguars have been one of the more underrated success stories of this NFL season. Coming into Week 18, at 12-4, they are one of the most consistent teams in the league and have a legitimate shot at securing the one seed in the AFC, while also winning the division that turned out to be brutally tough.
However, their book on the regular season was not yet closed. A Week 18 clash against the Tennessee Titans could have ended up determining where they end up in the playoff hierarchy. But what made the situation particularly tricky for them is that their fate isn’t entirely in their hands.
Can the Jaguars Still Win the AFC?
With a new head coach hiring in the offseason, the hope was that Liam Coen could turn the organization on its head. With his offensive pedigree, a potential breakout year from Trevor Lawrence had to be what the Jaguars were hoping for.
But it took a while before the former first overall pick truly found his rhythm in the new system. Even through his slow start, though, Jacksonville continued to rack up wins, thanks to an opportunistic defense that ranks second in the league in turnovers.
Now, over the last month and a half, Lawrence has truly come into his own. With a four-week stretch that saw him score 14 touchdowns without committing a turnover, including blowing out arguably the best defense in the league in the Denver Broncos, it seems like the Jags are getting the best version of Lawrence.
The Jaguars won the AFC South after their win over the Titans in Week 18. At worst, they’ll be the third seed to start the playoffs and will likely face either the Buffalo Bills or the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round.
The franchise record-breaker ‼️@QuintinMorris_ | #TENvsJAX on FOX https://t.co/Kzg9Dio7Fz pic.twitter.com/g4XhnIQE0R
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 4, 2026
According to PFSN’s Playoff Predictor, they have a slim 6.97% chance of entering the postseason as the one seed, mainly due to the quality of teams near the top of the conference.
Even beyond them winning over the Titans, they need the Broncos and the New England Patriots to lose their matchups against the Chargers and the Miami Dolphins, respectively.
But for a franchise that seemed to be going nowhere and a quarterback who was being written off, this season has already turned into a massive win, given their final destination after the regular season.
