The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't appear to be a playoff-worthy team after the last few weeks, and needed to take home a win in Week 11 to keep their postseason hopes alive. And that's exactly what they did, except they didn't just win; the Jags annihilated the Los Angeles Chargers 35-6.
The decisive rebound came just in time; as it stands now, Jacksonville holds one of three wild-card spots in the playoffs, and even more importantly, made a huge statement to the rest of the league: don't count the Jaguars out.
Before the Chargers victory, Jacksonville was beginning to be underestimated. Trevor Lawrence and the offense weren't playing well enough, the offensive line was a mess, their star rookie got injured, and the question quickly became whether or not the rebuilding efforts in the offseason were a total waste. Now, however, the Jags are getting their due credit.
Jacksonville Jaguars earn top marks after statement win over Chargers
John Breech graded every team's Week 11 performance for CBS Sports, and unsurprisingly, the Chargers were given an F. Though Los Angeles came into the game with a better record and the assumption of an easy win, they didn't play like one of the best teams in the league and were graded accordingly.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, also received a grade to show just how well they played. Every unit was at its best: the offense was clicking, the defense completely shut down Justin Herbert, and special teams enjoyed a nice day off. Accordingly, Breech gave the Jaguars an A+.
"The Jags had been in a funk over the past few weeks with three losses in their past four games, but they ended that by making a statement against the Chargers," Breech wrote. "The Jags defense absolutely shut down Justin Herbert, who threw for just 81 yards. It was a dominant defensive performance by a team that had surrendered an average of 33.3 points per game over the past three weeks."
Breech continued, "The offense was just as good: The Jags' two-headed rushing tandem of Bhayshul Tuten and Travis Etienne both topped 70 yards on the ground. Jakobi Meyers had his breakthrough game in Jacksonville with five catches for 65 yards. The Jaguars made quite the statement, and that statement is that everyone needs to start taking them seriously as a playoff contender."
This is the current AFC playoff bracket.
The Chargers, Jaguars, and Bills currently have the three Wild Card spots — and ***all three*** have wins over the #Chiefs, who are also going to be fighting for a wild-card spot considering how things are going.
Fascinating dynamic… pic.twitter.com/owApcMiSyV
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 17, 2025
Related:Josh Hines-Allen and other players whose stock is surging after beating the Chargers
The Jaguars must build off of the win vs. the Chargers
Of course, the season isn't over yet, so while there's a lot to celebrate right now, the Jaguars need to keep looking forward and remain focused. The Chargers still have a wild-card spot, too, and the Houston Texans are nipping on Jacksonville's heelszd52gtfvy, just one game behind. It's not the time to be cavalier, to put it lightly.
Yet as true as it is that the Jaguars could still fall behind, they could also still surge forward. The Indianapolis Colts lead the AFC South, but they're only ahead by two games, and the Colts and the Jaguars still face off twice later this season.
Anything could happen, and for now, the league knows not to count the Jaguars out yet.