It’s Super Bowl Sunday, so what must happen over the next year to give the Jacksonville Jaguars a chance to be playing in the big game in 2026?
There were a lot of really good things from this team in 2025. Along with winning 13 games and claiming the AFC South title, the Jaguars‘ offense was one of the most productive in football during their eight-game winning streak, which included averaging almost 33 points per game, while the defense was one of the stingiest, surrendering under 15 points per game during that stretch.
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Without question, a strong foundation has been laid, which can provide a jumping-off point heading into 2026. And rather than implementing two new schemes, which was the case last year, Jacksonville will spend the offseason building upon what has been established.
But there are always areas that can improve, and one in particular stands out when looking back at how the 2025 season unfolded. To help this team get to another level, an improved run game could do wonders.
Early on in the year, the run game provided stability and something for the offense to lean on. However, that waned during the second half of the season.
On the year, the Jaguars ranked 27th in yards per rush. From Week 10 on, there were five games where Etienne failed to rush for over 60 yards. The running lanes that were there early on were hard to find down the stretch.
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Trevor Lawrence and the red-hot passing game continued to put up points, but having a steady run game to couple with the aerial attack could take this offense to a new level.
When operating regularly from manageable down-and-distance situations, that opens up the playbook for Liam Coen and can create advantageous opportunities through the air.
Even on drives that don’t end in points, a trickle-down effect of having a productive run game is that it can help the offense find more success on third downs, which means longer drives, controlling the time of possession, wearing the opponent down over the course of the game, and giving the Jaguars’ own defense additional rest time.
On the flip side, without a strong run game, an offense can find itself operating from behind the sticks and in predictable passing situations. In these instances, defenses have the schematic advantage, and moving the ball via the passing game becomes more challenging.
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There are numerous positives for an entire football team when the run game is rolling, and this is one area where improved play can help the Jaguars level up.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: How Jacksonville Jaguars can reach next year’s Super Bowl