JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t going to take any team by surprise in 2026, the result of the dominant season they just completed.
The Jaguars were hardly anyone’s pick to win the AFC South in 2025, but that is exactly what they did in Liam Coen’s first year as head coach.
Now the question for the Jaguars is how they can do it again in 2026. The Jaguars failed to repeat as AFC South champions in each of the other years following an AFC South title (2018, 2023).
In today’s episode of the Jacksonville Jaguars Insider Podcast, we give three reasons why the Jaguars can continue their AFC South run in 2026.
The quarterback position. The Texans are facing some quarterback questions — at least externally — after the horrific playoff run by C.J. Stroud. With him being eligible for a contract this year, we could find out real soon how the Texans really feel about their quarterback. Stroud exploded on the scene as a rookie, but has plateued a bit since.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, have a quarterback with no contract questions and instead of playing in neutral, he is ascending. Lawrence was an MVP finalist after an elite two-month stretch to end the season, and he is clearly trending in a different and more positive direction than Stroud.
The Colts are mired in mediocrity. Shane Steichen has been the ultimate middle of the pack coach in three seasons, going 25-26 since taking over. While the Colts are hoping to recapture their early-season magic by bringing Steichen, Chris Ballard, and likely Daniel Jones back, there is reason to believe it won’t happen.
Steichen is 2-10 against the Jaguars and Texans in his time as head coach, and he simply has not been able to hang with those two teams during his tenure. Until he proves he can do otherwise, the Colts are a step behind.
The Titans are at least more intriguing this year than they were last year. They have a pulse with a second-year Cam Ward and a head coach who should at least prove to be an upgrade over Brian Callahan in Robert Saleh. With that said, the Titans are simply too early in their rebuild phase to be much of a threat to the Jaguars and the rest of the AFC South in 2026.
That doesn’t mean the Titans won’t be feisty and at least put up more of a fight than they did against the Jaguars a year ago. With that said, the Titans need to show some tangible progress as a franchise before they become more than a blip on the radar for two weeks of the season. We shall see when that happens.
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