The New York Jets are on the road on Sunday for the 14th game of their 2025 campaign. They will be facing Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars have pulled off a remarkable turnaround this season. Last year the Jaguars finished with a dismal 4 – 13 record. This season the Jaguars sit in sole possession of first place in the AFC South with a 9-4 record. They have won four straight games, three of them by 17+ points. The Jaguars aren\u2019t just winning, they are dominating. With the Jaguars playing their best football of the season and the Jets starting an undrafted rookie at quarterback on the road, this looks like a mismatch on paper.<\/p>\n
Previewing this matchup, Gus Logue, site manager at Big Cat Country<\/a>, was kind enough to answer a few questions regarding the 2025 Jacksonville Jaguars.<\/p>\n The Jaguars have pulled off a remarkable one year turnaround, from 4-13 last year to first place in the AFC South at 9-4 this year. What have been the major reasons for the turnaround?<\/p>\n It starts with Liam Coen. Most football followers are familiar with his achievements as an offensive play-caller and quarterback developer, but when the then-39-year-old was hired in January, the question for everyone outside the Jaguars\u2019 building was whether he had the goods as a culture-setting, people-motivating head coach.<\/p>\n It looks like he\u2019s got it<\/a>. After a Week 10 collapse in Houston that can only be described as \u201cJaguars-like\u201d, Coen got his troops to rally with four consecutive wins (three by 17+ points). Jacksonville\u2019s dominant home win over Indianapolis last week moved them into sole possession of first place in the division and started the first public whispers of Super Bowl aspirations from inside the building. The Jaguars are rounding into form at the perfect time in the NFL season. It\u2019s early, but it looks like this long-suppressed squad finally found the right leader.<\/p>\n Brian Thomas looked like a budding superstar last year, but this season he has struggled to get on track. Why has he struggled and do you expect him to return to his rookie level of success any time soon?<\/p>\n Sadly, Thomas has not blossomed into a perennial All-Pro consideration like so many of us expected. His rookie stats put him in rare company with guys like Randy Moss, Odell Beckham Jr., and Ja\u2019Marr Chase, but it now seems that any assumptions of ascension were off base.<\/p>\n Thomas struggled early this season with targets over the middle of the field, partly because he\u2019s not fantastic against zone. He could stand to improve at recognizing soft spots in coverage and working back to the football when it\u2019s airborne. The bigger issue, though, was fear of contact. Thomas developed \u201calligator arms\u201d and stopped short on routes to avoid getting popped by a defender. His tape in Week 3 was horrific<\/a>.<\/p>\n Yet as he displayed last week<\/a>, Thomas remains among the NFL\u2019s most dangerous perimeter threats. Place a defender across from him at the line of scrimmage at your own risk. His releases at the line are by far the most underrated aspect of his game — truly elite — and with outrageous vertical speed and superb ball tracking in his bag as well, it\u2019s impossible to cover the guy hip-for-hip from a press alignment. When opposing cornerbacks play off coverage, Thomas is afforded room underneath for his high-end athleticism and open-field vision to take over. Jacksonville\u2019s trade deadline addition of Jakobi Meyers has allowed Thomas to fill a still-critical role rather than being The Guy.<\/p>\n Someone in Jaguars local media recently said Thomas is better suited to be a Robin than a Batman. I agree, but considering many of the league\u2019s top offenses feature two star wideouts (Rams, Bengals, Cowboys, Eagles, Lions, Bucs, etc.), that\u2019s not a bad thing. Robins are very valuable. While Thomas may not be the next Beckham or Chase, it doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s not a terrifying player to line up across. His game-breaking, field-stretching ability would be a blessing for any offense.<\/p>\n How would you attack the Jaguars on offense and on defense?<\/p>\n