Jaguars are enjoying a home-field advantage missing for years, even decades

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have a legitimate home-field advantage for the first time in years, even decades.

And there's only one explanation for it: These cats are clawless no more.

The Jaguars (5-2) are undefeated at EverBank Stadium this season and 10-1 there in two years under coach Liam Coen. The loss came against eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle in 2025.

The last time Jacksonville won more than 10 home games over a two-year span was during the 2006-07 seasons under then-coach Jack Del Rio. The Jags could end up topping that run with victories in their final three home games against Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Washington.

No one should be surprised to see it happen considering how the team has fared recently in its comfy confines.

Jacksonville has barely been challenged at home in 2026, beating Cleveland 34-10 in the season opener, routing New England 35-6 two weeks later and then dominating Indianapolis 42-7 on Sunday.

The Jags have won seven regular-season games in a row at “The Bank,” outscoring opponents 271-75 in those outings.

“This season is very young, and we got to keep getting better,” quarterback Trevor Lawrence said.

Lawrence & Co. play their next three games on road, beginning at Baltimore (4-4) on Thursday night. In fact, the Jags have seven of their final 10 on the road, which could make extending their streak at EverBank key to their playoff chances.

Playing well at home has created a rare and refreshing feeling for Jacksonville, which has finished below .500 at home in 11 of the previous 15 years. It’s also a somewhat unexpected turnaround given the stadium is undergoing a $1.4 billion renovation that reduced capacity to 42,500 this season and a little more than 60,000 last year.

Nonetheless, it’s not like the Jaguars are playing in front of roughly 80,000 like Dallas, Denver, Green Bay and Kansas City — or have the noise advantages of being inside a dome. This seems to be more of a supply-and-demand situation that caters to die-hard season-ticket holders.

The Jags also played two home games in London in 2026, which limited them to six regular-season games in Jacksonville.

“I think that’s something these guys take a lot of pride in,” Coen said. “They understand and feel the limited opps that we do have in this stadium, that we want to take advantage of those opportunities and jump out.”

The Jaguars jumped on the Colts, scoring touchdowns on three of their first five possessions and opening up a 28-0 lead late in the second quarter thanks to backup safety Rayuan Lane’s 92-yard interception return . It was the third-largest halftime lead in franchise history.

The Jaguars converted 6 of 12 times on third down against Indy, raising their season total to 48.2%. That ranks third in the league behind Cincinnati and San Francisco. If it keeps up, it would be the highest conversion rate in the team’s 32-year history.

Jacksonville could be in the market for a nose tackle after losing DaVon Hamilton to a season-ending injury against the Colts. Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo of Philadelphia and Grover Stewart of Indianapolis could be options.

Second-year pro Bhayshul Tuten ran for a career-high 104 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for a career-high 55 yards and a score. He had a 39-yard TD scamper in the first half and turned a screen pass into a 25-yard score in the second.

Honorable mention: Rookie tight end Nate Boerkircher has TD catches in back-to-back games, and Brian Thomas Jr. caught a touchdown two weeks after getting benched.

Parker Washington failed to find the end zone in consecutive games for the first time this season. He finished with one catch for 16 yards and was targeted twice. He also shared punt-return duties.

The Jaguars, who rank 31st in the league with an average punt return of 3.5 yards, used two-way standout Travis Hunter and rookie Josh Cameron as returners against the Colts.

The Jaguars had three starters besides Hamilton injured: safety Eric Murray (left elbow), defensive end Travon Walker (right-side ribs) and right guard Ezra Cleveland (right ankle). Safety Antonio Johnson (ankle) also missed the game.

15 — The Jaguars are playing for the 15th time on Thursday Night Football and are 6-8 in their previous midweek matchups.

Jacksonville and Baltimore have alternated wins and losses over their last 11 meetings. If the trend continues, the Jaguars would win Thursday.

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