The Jacksonville Jaguarsare looking to build upon a very strong first year under head coach Liam Coen. Jacksonville would go 13-4 and win the AFC South title.
However, ESPN's Bill Barnwell believes that the Jaguars will take a fairly big step backward.
In his annual article, Barnwell projected the 14-team playoff field, but he did not include the Jaguars.
Barnwell's reasons for pessimism include the defense's high takeaway rate, which can be a volatile stat and difficult to replicate from year to year. He also points out that the Jaguars faced a lot of second- and third-string quarterbacks during their eight-game winning streak to end the season.
"The playoff push was really driven by a defense that ranked sixth in DVOA, and the Jaguars won't be
as healthy or force as many turnovers this season," wrote Barnwell.
Over on offense, Barnwell is concerned with the Jaguars' run game and offensive line play. He also notes the heavy road schedule that Jacksonville faces.
"I have serious reservations about the running game and the offensive line, and playing a league-high 11 games away from their home stadium won't help matters," he wrote. "This could be a consolidation year for Jacksonville."
All that said, there are reasons to be optimistic as well, including the continuity of being in the same offensive and defensive systems for a second season. Rather than learning and implementing new schemes, the Jaguars have the ability to build off the foundation they established last year.
This summer, we've also seen Trevor Lawrence and Brian Thomas Jr.'s connection grow, not to mention the litany of pass-catching options around the Jaguars' quarterback. In addition to that, the secondary played very well in camp, Travon Walker has been fully healthy, and the pass rush depth came on strong at the end.
Perhaps this article from Barnwell will turn into some new material for Coen to show to the team.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: ESPN predicts Jaguars miss playoffs in 2026 NFL season
