Jaguars hope to sustain momentum in a still-wide AFC South after a 13-win season

The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the 2026 preseason conversation with one major headline behind them: they finished last season with 13 wins under first-year head coach Liam Coen, a sign that the franchise’s current build may be finding its rhythm. In a deep dive on the AFC South, Yahoo Sports analysts Nate Tice and Matt Harmon suggest Jacksonville’s next leap does not come from wholesale reinvention. Instead, the question is whether the Jaguars can correct the weaknesses that keep elite teams from separating from the pack when the schedule tightens late in the year.

From there, the focus shifts to how improvement shows up in small, repeatable ways. The preseason is often where coaching staffs expose their most important priorities, from play-design clarity to in-game discipline. Tice and Harmon frame Jacksonville as a team that can plausibly become a true threat in a conference that they describe as “wide-open,” meaning the margin between contenders and pretenders may be thin enough that incremental upgrades matter more than star power alone.

The deep dive also highlights the development track that could influence Jacksonville’s ceiling quickly: rookie wideouts and early flashes that create roster and game-plan options. In particular, the Yahoo Sports preview references discussion around De’Zhaun Stribling and asks whether fans are “on the … hype train.” That kind of framing is less about guaranteeing immediate production and more about indicating what the staff and analysts see as process-based progress, something that can translate into snaps and targets as the season moves from exhibition into meaningful games.

While the piece is structured as a division-wide assessment, the central takeaway for Jacksonville is stability with a purpose. After a strong year and a coaching change, the most dangerous trap is treating the next season like a formality. A 13-win finish raises internal expectations, and it also raises the attention that opponents pay to tendencies. For Jacksonville, the path likely runs through answering questions that last season’s success may have partially masked, whether that shows up in limiting explosive plays, strengthening third-down performance, or ensuring that offensive drives sustain long enough to control game tempo.

The AFC South context matters because it can affect how quickly teams are forced to mature. Even strong squads have to operate under reality checks: division matchups often carry unique personnel battles, and a single cold streak can turn “another leap” into “another good-but-not-enough year.” Tice and Harmon’s framing of the division as wide open suggests Jacksonville will not be given the kind of margin that turns good teams into clear, consensus favorites without further proof.

What to watch next is how preseason observations translate into regular-season roles. Analysts may identify rookie potential, but the real test is whether those players earn consistent opportunities and whether the Jaguars’ coaching staff can sequence plays in ways that create advantages, particularly against better-prepared opponents. If Jacksonville can back up last year’s 13-win baseline with sharper execution and fewer avoidable breakdowns, the Jaguars’ claim to be a legitimate long-term contender becomes harder to dismiss. If not, the “wide-open” AFC South label may prove durable, with several clubs ready to take their turn.

Note: this story is based on the Yahoo Sports deep dive’s published framing and preview details. The full article likely contains additional team-by-team specifics for all four AFC South clubs, but those details are not included in the accessible preview, so the Jaguars-focused narrative here stays tightly anchored to what is explicitly indicated.