Are Jaguars Super Bowl contenders? 5 questions entering the bye

The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations after a 13-4 campaign in 2025. Six games into the 2026 season, those expectations haven't shifted, but questions remain about whether this team has what it takes to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and bring it back to Jacksonville.

Jacksonville entered its Week 7 bye at 4-2, with Trevor Lawrence playing at an elite level and Liam Coen's offense finding answers after struggling early last year.

But concerns about the pass rush, secondary, and Brian Thomas Jr.'s struggles have fueled questions about the team's championship ceiling.

LAMPING: Jaguars expect 'packed house' for four remaining 2026 home games

With 11 games remaining in the regular season, our Jaguars roundtable examines

whether Jacksonville is a legitimate Super Bowl contender, what needs to improve for a deep playoff run, and how the team should approach the trade deadline.

Are the Jaguars legitimate Super Bowl contenders, or is there reason to be skeptical?

Demetrius Harvey, Times-Union Jaguars beat writer

Yes, the Jaguars are as legitimate as any other top AFC team this year. At 4-2, the team's offense has proven to be one of the league's best and still has room to grow. The concerns start on defense, and whether they can overcome the challenges that have plagued them through a few games already this season.

If the Jaguars want to be Super Bowl contenders in late December and January, they'll need to fix or adjust their pass-rush plan, along with making tough decisions in the secondary to add speed and more reliable players on the field.

Juston Lewis, Times-Union Sports reporter

The Jaguars are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Ahead of the season, I thought they were likely to compete in the AFC Championship. After seeing the early part of the season, I think they could make the Super Bowl.

Two one-score losses kept them from being undefeated at the bye week. Granted, those losses came against potential playoff teams and could bite them in seeding scenarios later in the year. Still, the Jaguars are sitting at 17-6 through 23 games in the Liam Coen era. They’re a good football team and are set up to make a run in the back half of their schedule.

Garry Smits, Times-Union Sports reporter

Offensively, this team can score on anyone. Special teams are solid across the board. The only thing holding this team back is the defense, which isn't putting quarterbacks on the ground, isn't covering on the perimeter and can't be trusted to make stops in the fourth quarter when it absolutely must, as the late drives that ended in field goals for the Eagles and Texans showed.

There have been Super Bowl teams with average offenses and stellar defenses. Very few times, if at all, has the reverse been true. The team we're seeing in the first six games is a playoff contender. They're not built right now for stronger stuff than that.

Ryan O'Halloran, Times-Union Sports columnist

Yes. Through six weeks, the Jaguars’ 4-2 record puts them third in the AFC behind Kansas City (5-0) and Buffalo (5-1). It’s tough to poke a hole in the Chiefs so far, but the Bills are winning despite a porous defense. The Jaguars are winning despite a sub-par pass rush. Denver is 4-2 despite no offense. The AFC is wide open.

Has Trevor Lawrence proven he can lead the Jaguars on a deep playoff run?

Demetrius Harvey

Time will tell. He needs to do it to prove it. Still, the Jaguars are in good shape with Liam Coen as their play caller. Lawrence has mastered the offense and seems to be headed in the direction of Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and others. Can he become Patrick Mahomes? Probably not; Mahomes is a generational talent, but Lawrence was once pegged as one, too.

Juston Lewis

Lawrence has played at a high level since the second half of last season. His early career struggles are far behind him and he’s mastered Coen’s system. He can lead a deep playoff run, and likely will this season.

Garry Smits

Absolutely. He's making all the throws and making most of the right decisions. His main weakness remains throwing into crowds in the red zone but he's in the MVP conversation and getting better.

Ryan O'Halloran

A deep playoff run, yes. But can he win three playoff games to reach the Super Bowl? Undetermined. We know Patrick Mahomes can. We don’t know if Lawrence, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson can because they never have.

Among those four quarterbacks listed, what works in Lawrence’s favor the most is he has the best play caller (Coen).

What's gone wrong for Brian Thomas Jr., and how can the Jaguars get him more involved?

Demetrius Harvey

Thomas' struggles this season aren't necessarily a surprise. Last year, the former first-round pick had similar struggles with drops and didn't seem to have the same juice he did as a rookie. Those issues have continued into this season, and it's hard to say how he'll get out of this funk.

The Jaguars have tried plenty to get him more involved, and it came to a head against the Texans, when they benched him in the second half after he dropped a pair of passes in the first half. It feels unlikely the team will view him as a reliable receiver moving forward. But, then again, the noise was loud last year, too.

Juston Lewis

That’s the biggest question at the bye week. The team is built to move on from him — whether by benching him or trading him. At this point, there’s no defense for the drops, and they’re hurting the team weekly.

By drafting CJ Williams and Josh Cameron, they are prepared for any injuries to Jakobi Meyers or Parker Washington. Travis Hunter’s usage on offense could rise as well.

Garry Smits

I can't figure this guy out. Many elite, speedy wide receivers who drop passes and then don't get targeted as a result pout, whine, and create locker room toxicity (see Antonio Brown, George Pickett, A.J. Brown). This guy drops a pass, then blocks a safety into the first row of seats. He catches a pass, can't stay inbounds, then blocks another safety into his own bench. His teammates love him, the current coaching staff has exhibited tremendous patience and is constantly encouraging him in public. But Liam Coen may have reached the end of his patience with Thomas' two drops against the Texans.

Ryan O'Halloran

Everything went wrong and now it’s over. I think Thomas has played his last game with the Jaguars after he dropped two first-half passes against Houston and didn’t play a second-half snap. If upper management doesn’t want to trade him, he should be deactivated moving forward. He simply isn’t one of their four best receivers.

Are the Jaguars using Travis Hunter correctly, and should his role change after the BYE?

Demetrius Harvey

Hunter has been used just fine by the Jaguars since being drafted with the second-overall pick in 2025. The team expected him to take time to adjust to playing both sides of the ball in the NFL, and he found his sweet spot on defense as a full-time starter at corner.

Hunter's four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown against the Texans last week prove what he can do on offense, and leaning on that following the bye could be fruitful. The Jaguars are one injury away from playing two rookies at receiver, so getting Hunter up to speed on offense ought to be, and will be, a priority.

Juston Lewis

Hunter’s usage is an interesting conversation. He’s clearly their best cornerback and an impact player on offense. His ability to be a playmaker on both sides of the ball warrants the argument that his game snaps should be higher, but the team isn’t built to survive if he gets injured.

The Jaguars are already without cornerback Buster Brown, who is battling a hamstring injury. If something happened to Hunter, they’d be in hot water. However, on offense, they have several players to turn to. None quite as dynamic as Hunter, but the bodies are there in case of injury.

I’ll land somewhere on the yes-to-maybe spectrum on their usage of Hunter. Maybe he should see more time on offense, but they’ve been fine on offense in most of the games they’ve played. Defensively, yes they are using him correctly.

Garry Smits

The decision to use him about 95 percent of the time on defense was based on a wide receiver room in which Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers were the top three, and rookie Josh Cameron being brought along gradually. But with Thomas' future unclear, the Jags may have to use Hunter more on offense. His performance against the Texans showed what he can do.

But does that detract from his defense, where he is sorely needed? If they were asking me (and they aren't) and they are serious about moving Thomas, I'd first get Cameron more snaps and targets and continue to use Hunter sparingly on offense but in key situations. For example, if the Jaguars are mounting a late drive to win a game, I'd have Hunter on the field, without question.

Ryan O’Halloran

The Jaguars are using Hunter correctly based on the circumstances the guys listed above.

What is Jacksonville's biggest weakness, and should the Jaguars address it before the trade deadline?

Demetrius Harvey

Right now, Jacksonville's biggest weakness is its secondary. The team has injuries at safety, and corner Montaric Brown has missed a couple of games. Still, the unit has largely remained intact but has struggled. The team must get more out of Jourdan Lewis, and they'll have to have a tough conversation about what to do when Brown returns from injury. As of now, Jarrian Jones mans an outside spot opposite Travis Hunter, but should that change?

Juston Lewis

It’s the same weakness that keeps getting overlooked every offseason. The Jaguars desperately need pass-rush help. Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen have been relatively quiet since Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns.

Anthony Campanile has tried to supplement the Jaguars’ inability to get to the quarterback by dialing up more blitzes. That’s backfired a few times as quarterbacks get the ball out quickly to their open pass catchers.

The issue is, can Jacksonville find a pass rusher they can get for a low cost ahead of the trade deadline? Another area would be a cornerback to help alleviate some of the pressure on Hunter. The issue there is they paid Brown this offseason. Glad I don’t have to make these decisions.

Garry Smits

Defense. Defense. And defense. The problem is the two positions where they need help, edge rusher and corner, don't grow on trees and probably should have been addressed more in the draft. If there was a good enough street free agent at either position, he'd have a job by now. So the Jaguars are going to have to spend some draft capital or dangle Thomas in front of someone.

Ryan O'Halloran

I won’t opine any more on the pass rush so I think the Jaguars need to acquire cornerback help.

Final record prediction?

Demetrius Harvey

I'll have the Jaguars finishing the season with a 12-5 record. They'll have a tough road test against the Chicago Bears in December. Before that, though, the team has to go into Baltimore on a short week. If Lamar Jackson isn't playing due to injury, it'll be an easier matchup. Back-to-back games against the two Texas teams will be another big test.

Juston Lewis

12-5

Garry Smits

I'm going to go pretty conservative here given the difficult schedule and the fact that after returning home on Nov. 1 vs. Indianapolis means the Jaguars are on the road seven of the final 10 weeks of the season. I think in November they beat the Colts, sweep the Titans and split with Baltimore and the New York Giants (both games on the road). That gets them to 8-3 entering December.

Let's call a December road game in Chicago a loss, and the Jags come back home to beat Pittsburgh on a Monday night. They would then take a 9-4 record into Houston. Given the Texans' schedule (which includes the winless Chargers and road games against Pittsburgh and Washington), I've got them 8-5 at that point. So the AFC South title likely will be decided on Dec. 20 at Reliant Stadium. If the Jags survive that to go to 10-4, they are at Dallas, home vs. Washington and at Indianapolis. Winning two of those three puts them at 12-5 which should win the division or secure a wild card.

Ryan O'Halloran

The Jaguars will go 7-3 over their final 10 games to finish 12-5. Their losses will be at Baltimore, at Chicago and at Houston.

If you're a subscriber, thank you. If not, please consider subscribing to support local journalism in Northeast Florida.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Are Jaguars Super Bowl contenders? 5 questions entering the bye