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Who Are the Jaguars' 3 Biggest Disappointments This Season?
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- Who Are the Jaguars' 3 Biggest Disappointments This Season?
(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
At 4-2, the Jacksonville Jaguars are right where they want to be as they reach their much-deserved bye week.
The Jaguars have several wins over teams viewed as Super Bowl contenders and have a two-game lead in the AFC South. The early portion of Jacksonville's schedule was by far the toughest. Now the Jaguars have the easiest schedule in the NFL for the rest of the season, giving them a great opportunity to compete for the AFC's top seed and home-field advantage through the playoffs.
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The Jaguars have gotten terrific play from their star players. Trevor Lawrence, Parker Washington, and Travis Hunter have all taken turns taking over games and putting the team on their back.
Jacksonville also has several players who have exceeded expectations and been very pleasant surprises for the team this season, which has added to the Jaguars' success.
Unfortunately for Jacksonville, the team has its fair share of players who have underperformed this season. Both of the Jaguars' losses have come in close, hard-fought games. If Jacksonville had gotten more impactful play from a few key players, either loss could have been a win instead.
For a team that has looked as good as Jacksonville has this year, who knows how dominant it could be if some of these players start playing up to their talent level.
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Here are the three players who have been the Jaguars' biggest disappointments so far this season.
Jaguars' Biggest Disappointments
1. Brian Thomas Jr., WR:Who else could top this list? It has been a nightmare of a season for BTJ. Expected to look more like the star player he was as a rookie in 2024 than the player who significantly regressed last year, Thomas has continued to decline.
He has only nine catches for 105 yards and one touchdown this season. Thomas has gone two straight games without a reception and was benched for the entire second half in Week 6.
Thomas has once again become the epicenter of heavy trade speculation. There will be several teams interested if Jacksonville decides to part ways with the talented 24-year-old, which seems to be the direction this situation is headed.
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2. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, EDGE:It's easy to lump Jacksonville's star edge rusher duo together. They were both expected to carry a pass rush that is severely lacking in depth. Both are Pro Bowl-caliber players expected to reach double-digit sacks.
Jacksonville has only 11 sacks this season, and the lack of production from Hines-Allen and Walker has helped cripple the team's pass defense. Each recorded 1.5 sacks in the Jaguars' season opener. Since then, Walker has only a half sack, and JHA has none.
That isn't good enough. Unless the Jaguars make a big trade for a game-changing sack artist (Khalil Mack, anyone?) , Jacksonville's star duo must start meeting their own expectations before they can start picking up the slack for the rest of the pass rush.
3. Montaric Brown, CB:After a career season in 2025, Brown has regressed badly this season, and that's only been when he has been on the field. Brown has been in and out of the lineup due to injuries and has not been effective when he has played.
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In four games, Brown has 10 total tackles, zero interceptions, and has yet to record a pass breakup. His 54.7 overall grade from PFF ranks 76th among 102 qualified cornerbacks, while his 45.8 coverage grade ranks 89th.
Brown has allowed an abysmal 3.8 yards per coverage snap this season (league average is 1.1). If Brown doesn't vastly improve soon, he may see his playing time decrease more than it has already.
Hunter has been terrific at one CB spot, but the group of Brown, Jarrian Jones, and Jourdan Lewis has badly disappointed, causing Jacksonville's pass defense to give up 273.8 yards per game, 30th in the NFL.
If the Jaguars want to reach the team's first Super Bowl, these players must play the way they are capable of playing once Jacksonville returns from its bye week.
