The Jacksonville Jaguars needed a big win against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11, and boy, did they get it. After suffering a humiliating (and largely self-inflicted) loss to the Houston Texans last week, the Jags needed to win if they wanted to stay in the playoff race.
But it wasn't just the one loss that Jacksonville needed to bounce back from. In the past several weeks, it was in a tailspin, as before the Texans loss, they had just barely emerged victorious over the Las Vegas Raiders. It was not looking good for the Jaguars' playoff push, to say the least.
As such, the Jaguars were largely seen as the underdogs heading into Week 11. The Chargers have the better record, and generally, have performed better throughout the season than the Jags have. Yet miraculously, they didn't just defeat the Chargers... they utterly dominated them.
The Jacksonville Jaguars silence doubters with statement win over Chargers
Jaguars fans would be excused for remaining nervous in the fourth quarter, despite having such a big lead. After all, Jacksonville was in that exact position last week against the Texans and completely blew it. This week, though, the Jaguars beat the Chargers so completely that their head coach, Jim Harbaugh, pulled Justin Herbert, his starting quarterback, in favor of Trey Lance when the game got out of reach.
In other words, the writing was on the wall. There was no way the Chargers could come back from this. Los Angeles just wasn't playing well, and the Jaguars? Well, it could arguably be said to be the best game of the season so far for Jacksonville.
Travis Etienne Jr. reaches for the pylon! Jaguars lead 35-6.
LACvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/sNUPPKI7FG
— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2025
Every part of the team was clicking. The defense kept Herbert on his toes, with two sacks and one interception. Josh Hines-Allen, specifically, made Jaguars history, having beaten Tony Brackens to become the all-time sack leader with 56 sacks. But it wasn't just Hines-Allen; the defense kept the Chargers offense from being productive in any meaningful measure.
Then, on offense, it seemed that Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence were finally able to put it together. It wasn't a perfect game — Lawrence still threw an interception — but it was the best we've seen so far. The offensive line mercifully got it together and actually kept Lawrence fairly well-protected, and stopped the constant penalties. In fact, the Jags ended the game with one penalty total.
Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten both had good games, but the biggest pleasant surprise was the passing game. There weren't any insane explosive plays, sure, but rather, lots of steady passes to multiple receivers that simply got the job done.
.@Antonio_johns0n picks off Herbert 😤#LACvsJAX on CBS pic.twitter.com/bFkEhVlVA4
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) November 16, 2025
A big highlight was seeing the blossoming chemistry between Lawrence and Jakobi Meyers, a new addition to the roster. Meyers ended the game with five receptions of six targets, for 64 yards, including one truly impressive play where Lawrence perfectly threaded the needle to Meyers, who caught the ball despite being under double coverage.
Oh, and did I mention the Jaguars didn't punt the ball once the entire game?
It's understandable that the Jaguars were starting to be brushed off by the league. But by completely destroying the Chargers, the Jaguars send a loud message: underestimate us at your own risk. The Jaguars are still playoff contenders, and if everything continues to come together the rest of the season the way it did today? Every other team in the NFL needs to be nervous.