Are the Jacksonville Jaguars the New Super Bowl Favorites?

Do three big trades a day before the NFL trade deadline make the Jacksonville Jaguars Super Bowl favorites? The Jaguars are currently the three-seed in the AFC and have the 2nd easiest schedule remaining among projected AFC playoff teams and the 30th easiest overall.

On Monday, Nov. 9th, they traded for safety Jessie Bates III from the Atlanta Falcons, defensive tackle Davon Godchaux from the New Orleans Saints and defensive tackle Jordan Davis from the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jaguars already had one of the best defenses in the NFL, but adding three veteran players to an already stacked roster makes them even more dangerous. Jacksonville is recognizing their time is now, but will it be enough to get them to a Super Bowl? Read below!

The Trade Deadline Turned the Jaguars Into a Super Bowl Favorite

 

The Jaguars already had the fifth-best rushing defense in the NFL, but just added 6-3, 330, Godchaux, and 6-6, 340, Davis, to that already elite unit. If you look at some of the best teams in the AFC: Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, they all live by their run games. Jacksonville just assembled arguably the best defensive tackle duo in the NFL, oh, and they have Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker coming off the edges. How do you generate any sort of run game against that group, and pass block against them too? 

The Jaguars have the best d-line in the NFL after those trades, and it could prove to be huge in the playoffs. If they don’t get the one-seed and home-field advantage, they’re going to have to play one of these run-heavy teams on the road in late January. Having an elite run defense could be paramount in games like that. They are trying to prove the age-old saying that defense wins championships is true right now. 

So who are these guys? Godchaux is a ten-year veteran who brings elite-level run-stopping prowess to the Jaguars. They’ll likely sub him in and out with Arik Armstead to keep both of them rested and fresh. Having a deep defensive line can be very important, especially on long playoff runs. Godchaux isn’t the most prolific pass-rusher, but he can clog up the middle of an offensive line and make it difficult to run up the middle.

Davis, on the other hand, is a massive athletic freak who has started every game for Philadelphia over the last four years. In 2025, he had 72 tackles and 4.5 sacks as part of one of the best d-lines in the NFL. The two of them create a formidable wall of muscle in the middle of the defense, and will both occupy multiple blockers and clog up multiple running lanes. 

Adding two experienced defensive linemen to the Jaguars’ defense is going to open up both depth and more opportunities for the guys around them. Davis, Godchaux, and Armstead are going to take a lot of attention and will open up room for Walker and Hines-Allen to get to the quarterback.

Despite their good defensive numbers, the Jaguars only have 16 sacks on the season. This move feels directly related to that, and is going to give Jacksonville a new layer to their defense. It will be hard for offenses to game plan against this defense. You can’t run against them, and they’re going to get to the quarterback at an even higher clip. It’s a scary proposition for the rest of the league. 

The biggest thing that the Jaguars do right on defense is forcing turnovers. They’re fourth in the NFL in total turnovers and have the best differential with +9. Now they’re adding one of the best ballhawk safeties in the NFL. Bates has 28 career interceptions and 14 career forced fumbles. He’s tied for first in the NFL since he entered the league in 2018 for interceptions, and is joining a defense that has already forced 11 picks this year. That’s a really dangerous combination for teams to have to deal with. 

So what does this all add up to? The Jaguars are now going to be able to create pressure on the quarterback with only four pass rushers, which in the quarterback-dominant AFC is very important. Their top-five run defense isn’t going to lose a step, and honestly should get even better. One of the best turnover-creating teams in the NFL gets an elite turnover-creating machine. The already elite Jaguars’ defense just elevated themselves to arguably the best unit in the NFL. 

Adding three new players to your defense all at once is a little risky, but the Jags get the Titans twice and the Giants over their next three games. That should allow them time to settle in before their difficult December schedule. Jacksonville still needs some things to go their way for the one-seed, but this puts them in a position to go for a Super Bowl. Home-field advantage would be huge for Jacksonville, as the only warm-weather team in contention in the AFC. Avoiding a game at Buffalo, Kansas City, or Denver would be huge. 

Super Bowl?

Jacksonville has sensed that their Super Bowl window is now, and they’re going for it. Their offense is steamrolling teams left and right, and now they’ve just created the best defense in the NFL. This is one of the most aggressive trade deadline moves we’ve ever witnessed, and it seems like the Jaguars are pushing all their chips to the middle of the table. Everybody else…watch out.  

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