Week 1 of the 2025 regular season is around the corner, and you'll begin to see plenty of predictions about the Jacksonville Jaguars (guilty as charged). Most of them seem them making noise. Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports came up with just another one, and it isn't the exception.
Kerr predicted the floor and ceiling for every NFL team in 2025 and believes the Jags can dethrone the Houston Texans and finish 9-8, arguing that head coach Liam Coen will help Trevor Lawrence, and Travis Hunter will be a difference-maker. Here's the skinny.
"The Jaguars have a breath of fresh air with Liam Coen as the head coach, as he looks to revamp Trevor Lawrence's career like he helped Baker Mayfield last year," Kerr wrote. "The addition of Travis Hunter makes the offense better, while Hunter also gives the defense a boost at cornerback."
Kerr continued, "Jacksonville still has a good defensive front, which gives the Jaguars an edge over Houston in those matchups since Jacksonville is in the AFC South; the Jaguars should win games. They just need to survive the early part of the schedule."
On the other hand, the floor has Jacksonville finishing 6-11, and Lawrence failing to improve under Liam Coen's tutelage.
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The Jaguars will be a serious threat to the Texans in 2025
The Houston Texans have won the AFC South championship the past two years. Couple that with the fact that quarterback C.J. Stroud is expected to improve under offensive coordinator Nick Caley, and it's easy to see why they could win the division for the third time in a row. That said, you won't see as many experts picking them.
Nick Wright of FS1 has the Jacksonville Jaguars winning the division next season. Aaron Schatz of FTN Fantasy also thinks they'll edge Houston. Both of them make compelling points.
The biggest one is that the Texans didn't improve nearly as much as Jacksonville in the offseason. Granted, the Jaguars had to cover more ground coming off a 4-13 season. That said, Houston didn't do as many upgrades to keep their stronghold of the AFC South.
Laremy Tunsil is one of the best tackles in the NFL, but Houston traded him to the Washington Commanders. Fine, you want to get younger in the line of scrimmage, so that's not necessarily a bad move. The issue is that the Texans didn't find a suitable replacement. Similarly, the rest of the offensive line leaves plenty to be desired even after bringing in Laken Tomlinson and Ed Ingram.
If that wasn't enough, Joe Mixon may not play in 2025, and Houston is banking on Nick Chubb to step into his place. Again, that would be a sound strategy if he were at full strength, but the former Pro Bowl running back has dealt with lots of injuries in recent years, so he may not be nearly as productive as he was with the Cleveland Browns.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars made upgrades to virtually every position group and bolstered Trevor Lawrence's arsenal of weapons. On top of that, Liam Coen has done a great job of building a culture and getting the most out of his players. When you add it all up, the Texans may have trouble holding onto the division crown.
Heck, don't be surprised if the Jaguars outperform their ceiling and finish the 2025 season with double-digit wins. That's just how much they've improved the past few months.
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