Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) reacts to a false start during the first quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How the Jaguars Stack Up Against Divisional Opponents

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Feb 4, 2026 4:00 PM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars vastly improved in 2025, hosting a playoff game after only winning four games the previous year. There are a lot of factors that led to that success, but ultimately, it was the perfect storm of change and improvement that led to their meteoric rise.

They won the AFC South for just the third time in franchise history last season, with them only dropping one game against a divisional rival all season. However, their divisional opponents have already made moves in order to catch up to them. How does the Jaguars' future compare to the rest of the AFC South?

Division Heating Up

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The AFC South is widely regarded as one of the worst divisions in the NFL, but the Houston Texans' defense was nothing to disregard last season. They had a Super Bowl-caliber defense that was held back by an offense that couldn't get anything going in the playoffs and struggled for the majority of the regular season. This is the Jaguars' biggest threat to the division, as in the past eight years, the Texans have come out on top of the AFC South four times.

The Jaguars have a clearer path moving forward because they have a franchise quarterback they can trust in big moments in Trevor Lawrence. The Texans were the only divisional rival the Jaguars split the series with, and as long as Demeco Ryans is their head coach, their defense will always be better than theirs, even if Travon Walker and the rest of their defense improved massively last season.

Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

The biggest early offseason winner from the AFC South is the Tennessee Titans, who have crushed their coaching decisions. Robert Saleh is an excellent defensive mind, but they paired him with Brian Daboll as their offensive coordinator. That brings a balance of great defense and offense, and it's clear they're going all in on Cam Ward's development.

Liam Coen, as amazing as he's been with the Jaguars so far in his tenure as their head coach, has competition for the best head coach in the AFC South. This team is dangerous, and even if they don't emerge as a threat next season, if Ward is the quarterback they think he is, they will be successful in the future.

Travis Register-Imagn Images

Finally, the Indianapolis Colts. They looked like they broke out this season under Daniel Jones, but then the wheels fell off. They made history as the only team in the NFL to start a season 8 - 2 and still miss the playoffs.

Even if Phillip Rivers gave them a scare late in the season, the Jaguars shouldn't be overly concerned about this team. The jury's still out on whether Jones is a good quarterback or not, and their defense collapsed in the second half of the season.

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

More must-reads: