3 Bold Predictions for Jaguars After the Bye

1. Travis Hunter Jr. finishes as the Jaguars' leader in receiving yards

A big story for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season has been their usage of Travis Hunter Jr. on offense, or lack thereof. The team traded up to take him second overall in the 2025 draft with the specific intention of playing him on both sides of the ball. They've done that, and he's had flashes in spots, but hasn't been able to carve out a consistent role at wide receiver or cornerback due to the overwhelming learning curve that comes with trying to learn two positions at the professional level at once.

Despite his limited usage at receiver, he's still second on the team in receiving yards with 298, just 67 behind Brian Thomas Jr. Recently, Hunter Jr. has played much more at wideout than as a defensive back. In his last three games, he's seen 164 snaps on offense compared to just 61 on defense. Between his ascension and BTJ's struggles this year, it wouldn't be surprising at all to see the rookie wind up as the Jaguars' number-one receiver by season's end.

2. Jaguars lead the league in takeaways

At the beginning of the season, the Jaguars were racking up defensive takeaways left and right, notching a league-leading 13 in their first four games. In their last three, they've only had one: Devin Lloyd's 99-yard pick-six against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5.

Jacksonville's forced turnovers were no fluke, though. Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile's scheme is heavily reliant on zone, encouraging his players to fly around, cause chaos, tip passes, and punch out the rock from opposing ball-carriers. The Jaguars are currently second in the NFL in takeaways, behind the Chicago Bears, who have 16. I expect Jacksonville to finish the year on top once it gets back to generating pressure and capitalizing with forced turnovers after the bye.

3. Jaguars will win the AFC South

Despite their two-game skid, the Jaguars are still within arm's reach of the Indianapolis Colts at the top of the division. Indy has been downright dominant to begin the year, going 6-1, with their one loss coming to the Los Angeles Rams due to some shocking self-inflicted wounds.

However, the Colts opened their campaign with the easier stretch of their slate, while the Jaguars had a much harder schedule in the beginning of the year. Jacksonville also has both of its head-to-head matchups with Indianapolis after the bye. If they can win both and capitalize on the lighter schedule, they could capture the AFC South.

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