The Jacksonville Jaguars have a solid offense, but the real story this season is their defense. Coming into the year, the Jags’ expectations were modest. Anthony Campanile was stepping into his first season as an NFL defensive coordinator. Now in the 2025 season, the same defense is lighting up the league. The Jaguars lead the NFL in turnover differential at +9 and have forced the most takeaways in the league by a wide margin. But can their “secret to success” survive while advancing in much higher-stakes games in the future?

The Jags have managed 14 turnovers, including 10 interceptions and 4 fumbles. The next in line is the Pittsburgh Steelers with just 10, including 5 fumbles and 5 interceptions each. This blessing in disguise is what is bothering the experts. It compelled CBS Sports’ John Breech to flag it in a recent conversation. “These turnovers have come in big spots. Devin Lloyd’s game that flipped it around against the Chiefs and really allowed Jacksonville to be in a position to win that game at the end,” he said. The problem is that turnovers are unpredictable. You don’t know when they’re going to come. And if you don’t get them, is Jacksonville going to be able to win games?”

Breech is somewhere making sense here. Lloyd’s interception came in just when the Chiefs were on the 2nd down and goal. They were at 14-14 in the third quarter, and neither the offense of Chiefs is an average one, nor do they have an injured QB like their previous opponents. This was the decisive play of the game. This isn’t the only thing that has raised eyebrows over the Jags’ winning formula.

The pass defence of the Jags has been shaky, sitting in the bottom five of the NFL. Yes, they’ve been solid in stopping the runs, but the question still hovers….if the turnovers dry up, can they still win? Can Trevor Lawrence and his offense light up the NFL without the turnovers with this intensity?

Trevor Lawrence’s late-game heroics add drama to the Jaguars vs Chiefs matchup

On Tuesday, the Jaguars QB turned 26, but it was Jacksonville who received a present. The Clemson legend was the real difference maker in the victory. He threw 221 yards and a touchdown. But it wasn’t his overall performance that stole the show. The final drive was the showstopper for the Jags.

With just 30 seconds left, the Jaguars were down by 28-24. Lawrence dropped back into the pocket but was stepped on by Jaguars guard Patrick Mekari. It looked like a routine imbalance under pressure. But Lawrence bounced up and set his eyes on the end zone, and then within a matter of seconds…touchdown, Jaguars.

“The defensive schemes are really good, and sometimes they cover all the guys, and our O-line has been blocking really well, so being able to escape, use my legs, make the defense defend the whole field … made a big impact for us tonight,” Lawrence hinted that his legs are his biggest weapon.

Just 2 minutes earlier, Lawrence had started the drive on the Jags’ 40-yard line and moved the team to the Chiefs’ 14-yard line with 38 seconds remaining. Things remained uncertain until a 13-yard defensive penalty on Chamarri Conner pushed the Jaguars to 1 yard from the red zone. Stumbling upon the game-winning touchdown, his teammates couldn’t stop singing his praises.

But he should keep delivering this performance because the turnovers aren’t always going to help the defense, and Liam Coen. They should realise that turnovers won’t take long to “turn-over” against them.