Jaguar fans show the support during the second quarter of an NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium Sunday September 7, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars, Franchise Star Facing Some Early Adversity

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars nearly pulled off a road upset in Week 2 to move to 2-0 on the 2025 NFL season and start Liam Coen's head coaching career undefeated. They fell just short against the Cincinnati Bengals, 31-27, and head back to Duval with an even record.

That's a pretty encouraging two-game sample for a team that went 4-13 last season. And yet, there's not much optimism left around this franchise after just one loss. It's fair, though, given the way they were defeated in Cincinnati. The Jaguars showed plenty of encouraging signs in Week 2, but ultimately fell victim to their own mistakes and failure to capitalize on their blessings.

Had Jacksonville simply been outgunned by Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, there would be a very different sentiment for this team. However, because they lost to a Jake Browning comeback effort for the second time in three years, practically all the goodwill the Jaguars built through the offseason, training camp, and Week 1 has evaporated.

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

Jaguars fans

There was plenty of blame to go around for the Jacksonville Jaguars' disastrous finish against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw two early interceptions. Travis Hunter Jr. got called for a critical defensive pass interference penalty on the Bengals' game-winning drive. Head Coach Liam Coen elected to go for it on fourth down and turned it over instead of kicking a field goal to go up six in the final minutes of the contest.

However, the bulk of the blame has to go to Brian Thomas Jr. Not only did he muster just four catches for 49 yards in Cincy, but he had multiple backbreaking missed opportunities, including a catchable end zone target that he let sail over his head and a drop on 4th-and-2 that allowed the Bengals to complete the comeback. Fans took notice of his poor performance, and more importantly, his apparent lack of effort.

Like, are you being serious? https://t.co/qy62E0UI3q pic.twitter.com/0OrNLy7j2B
— The OL Guy (@TheOLineGuy) September 14, 2025

The drops have been a recurring problem for BTJ since he came into the NFL. They're definitely an issue, but they weren't nearly as glaring when he was still putting up big numbers in his rookie campaign.

Some fans would certainly still complain about the drops, but they'd be able to stomach them more if Thomas Jr. weren't regressing statistically and if he weren't giving up on plays. Many of the balls that came his way against the Bengals were catchable, but he didn't pull them down out of fear of getting hit.

This is something that BTJ will have to resolve, along with Head Coach Liam Coen and quarterback Trevor Lawrence. However, the fans need to do their part to give their team the confidence they need to perform up to standard. This wasn't a great sign of things to come.

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

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