Having lost to one Florida team last week, the Seattle Seahawks will go to the Sunshine State to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Last time Seattle faced Trevor Lawrence, the Jags were on their way to a 3-14
season in which Urban Meyer didn’t even last the full season as head coach. Things are slightly different in 2025, as the Jaguars are 4-1 under first-year head coach Liam Coen, boasting a defense that leads the league in takeaways and an offense that has not been great but at least good enough to win games.
It’s time for another edition of 5 Qs and 5 As to get better acquainted with Seattle’s next opponent. This Q&A was conducted by John Gilbert and Jaguars beat writer Gus Logue of Big Cat Country and Duval 22, but since Gilbert is on the road and unable to post, I am taking the liberty of introducing this on John’s behalf.
1. The Jaguars are five games into the Liam Coen era, and currently sport top ten scoring units on both sides of the ball while perched atop the division. Is that just early season success for a new coaching staff, or should fans expect the Jaguars to be in the thick of things in the AFC into November and December?
Jacksonville has forced a turnover on a league-leading 25% of defensive drives — a rate that’s sure to regress — but due to the parity in the AFC this season, I do expect the team to be fighting for playoff seeding during the holiday season.
The Jaguars’ new coaching staff deserves all the credit that’s coming to them, in part for the culture they’ve already helped to build, but they’ve really just done what previous coaches have failed to do: put players in the best position to succeed. Some guys (e.g., Travis Etienne, Devin Lloyd) have certainly taken a leap under the new staff, but this team had more talent than its records in recent seasons would indicate.
2. Trent Baalke was part of the front office that drove Jim Harbaugh out of San Francisco and ushered in the Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly eras for the 49ers which Seahawks fans remember so fondly. How big a relief is it for Jaguars fans that Baalke is no longer a part of the franchise?
It is a huge, huge relief. Baalke isn’t the worst talent evaluator in the world, but as you indicated in your question, he’s never been a people person — and that’s a huge part of the job. Baalke almost seemed to invite power struggles, and he’d stalk around practice fields offering coaching tips to players (bizarre behavior for a GM). Plus, his team-building process was a mess. He seemed to have no sense of the word “value” after the first round of drafts, as he’d double down on non-premium positions and take huge reaches relative to consensus draft boards.
Jaguars fans are extremely pleased with his replacement, James Gladstone, especially after his two trades with the Browns to acquire Travis Hunter and to swap Tyson Campbell for Greg Newsome. It’s very early, but the “Silent Assassin” (as some team staffers refer to him as) seems to have the goods. For as improved as the coaching staff is, Jacksonville’s front office may have had an even bigger boost in competence from the previous regime.
3. Seahawks fans know all the big names, but who are a couple of players whose names Seattle fans may not know that could have an impact on the game Sunday?
Considering how effective AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo have looked so far this season, I think OLB Dennis Gardeck could be an X-factor in this game. He rotates into the game when opposing offenses are in heavy personnels. Gardeck is the kind of versatile, high-energy role player that every team likes to have, and he’s especially effective against the run, but the Seahawks may find success throwing the football his way. He’s a dependable tackler in space but doesn’t have great lateral ability.
I’m also interested to see what Jacksonville’s cornerback rotation looks like this week. Jourdan Lewis can be expected to play nearly every down, but Travis Hunter’s defensive usage fluctuates every week, and newcomer Newsome is unlikely to see a full workload in his first game as a Jaguar. Montaric Brown is a name to watch for — he has a lot of fans inside the building and had a sweet PBU against Patrick Mahomes last week.
On the other side of the ball, tight ends Hunter Long and Johnny Mundt will see more snaps with schematic chess piece Brenton Strange (hip) placed on injured reserve. And seventh-round rookie LeQuint Allen is like the offense’s version of Gardeck as a gritty competitor who makes the most of every opportunity. His pass-blocking prowess and special teams chops should lead to a long career à la Dare Ogunbowale.
4. What is the fan sentiment surrounding Trevor Lawrence in terms of living up to his draft status and playing in line with his $55M per year contract?
Our Reacts Survey this week actually asked fans to grade his 2025 season to date — over 50% of fans gave him a B and 34% gave him a C. So he’s been slightly above average, but it’s safe to say that fans still want to see more from him. Lawrence has as many bone-headed decisions as he does god-tier throws in every game. He’ll be the first to tell you that he needs to play more consistently.
I don’t think Lawrence is ever going to live up to his hype as a draft prospect, though that’s not the end of the world. The Jaguars don’t need him to be Peyton Manning. However, they do need him to live up to his contract and lead the team not just to the playoffs, but through it. Last week’s primetime win over the Chiefs showed that Lawrence has the willpower and out-of-structure playmaking ability to do just that, but we’ll have to wait and see if he can harness it for multiple games in a row in January.
5. What’s your prediction for the outcome of the game and why?
I came into the week preparing to predict a Seahawks win. The Jaguars are probably more of a 3-2 team than one that’s 4-1; they’ve relied heavily on forcing turnovers and got a little lucky by playing a decimated 49ers squad in Week 4. But while they have exceeded expectations, Jacksonville is in no way fraudulent, and I think they’re good enough to take advantage of Seattle’s various injuries. The Hawks are more banged up than I realized. Expect some deep shots to Travis Hunter on Sunday.
Thanks to Gus for answering John’s questions! You can read John’s answers to Gus’ questions over at Big Cat Country.
