Tom Blair and Ali Bhanpuri of NFL.com each made their early 2026 record predictions for all 32 teams and playoff projections. When it comes to the Jacksonville Jaguars, these predictions revealed two contrasting outcomes.
Blair had the Jaguars finishing the season 13-4 once again, which earned the Jaguars the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. Bhanpuri, however, still had Jacksonville above .500 at 10-7, but that was not good enough to make the playoffs in his projection.
“I was initially inclined to peg the Jaguars for regression — until I went back and refreshed my memory of their performance last season against teams that made the playoffs, as part of my research,” Blair wrote.
Just as the Jaguars did in 2025, they finished the season strong in Blair’s projection, winning their final five games and seven of their last eight. In Bhanpuri’s projection, there wasn’t any significant losing streak that took place, just a steady dose of losses mixed in with wins throughout the season.
Under head coach Liam Coen, the Jaguars established a very strong foundation in Year 1. That, plus the continuity of being in the same scheme for a full offseason, can be a jumping-off point heading into 2026.
While the first year under a new coach can set the tone, as Coen described earlier this offseason, there is no more important season than Year 2.
“There is no year more important than year two,” said Coen. “There is no year because man, let’s be honest, there has been a lot of one-hit wonders. That’s the reality. And so, what are we doing to separate ourselves to make sure that never happens? So that we take the next step as a team.”
It’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the Jaguars, but that, in part, is a reflection of where the roster already stands.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Analysts predict 2 very different outcomes for Jaguars 2026 NFL season
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
