How the Jaguars Earned National Respect in Week 5

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Oct 8, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off a massive win on Monday Night Football over the Kansas City Chiefs. This is a signature win for this team that has a new regime and has come out of the gates fast. This is a great sign for the Jaguars.

They took down one of the top contenders in the National Football League. It is not just that they won, it is the way they did it that was impressive. The Jaguars improve to 4-1 this season and are looking like the real deal in the AFC South and the whole AFC.

It did not go all that smoothly for the Jaguars on Monday Night Football against the Chiefs. The Jaguars were down 14-0 early in this game. But there was no panic from head coach Liam Coen and starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Those two are the leaders of this team, and they knew that they were still in it and could come back. That is what they did. Lawrence got the offense going, and they had two great drives to tie up the game.

Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jaguars defense also did their part in getting the team back into this game. They got some critical stops on third down. Then they had the play of the game in the second half. The Chiefs were looking to score a touchdown, and the Jaguars' defense got an interception and took it all the way back to the house for a pick-six. That turned the game in favor of the Jaguars. Lawrence had to drive the team for a touchdown on their final drive, and he got it done.

One recent Jaguars NFL rankings

Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated has the Jaguars in an interesting position.

16. Jacksonville Jaguars (4–1)

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Last week’s ranking: No. 20
Last week’s result: beat Chiefs, 31–28
This week: vs. Seahawks

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Travis Etienne look like this in the NFL. If Liam Coen doesn’t get Travis Hunter going for a little while, and Brian Thomas plateaus in Year 2, but the Jaguars become a consistent run threat that buoys Trevor Lawrence perpetually, isn’t that a massive win?

Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

The Jaguars will be facing another tough team in Week 6. They welcome in the Seattle Seahawks. This is going to be another good challenge for this Jaguars team.

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This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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