Jaguars viewed as strong candidate to repeat in AFC South

The Jacksonville Jaguars had a monster season in 2025. With the additions of general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen, the struggling franchise went from 4-13 to winning the AFC South with a 13-4 record. Despite that, analysts have consistently been dropping the Jaguars in NFL power rankings this offseason, rather than acknowledging them as the legitimate threat they are.

The Houston Texans are often ranked above them or seen as more of a contender for the division title. The league may slowly be coming around on Jacksonville, though. NFL.

com's senior news writer Kevin Patra ranked each division champion from most to least vulnerable, and coming in at No. 8 — meaning the most likely to repeat — was Jacksonville. For Patra, the Jaguars have the fewest problems compared to the rest of the AFC South.

"I'll admit this is more of a vibes pick to close out the list than anything analytically based," Patra wrote. "In a year in which turnover seems inevitable, why not shoot a perceived deep three? I loved what Liam Coen brought to Duval in his first season.