Week 5 highlighted Jacksonville’s balanced surge past Kansas City, led by standout PFF grades on both sides of the ball. Parker Washington (79.3), Travis Hunter (76.9), Trevor Lawrence (75.0) and Travis Etienne (72.3) topped the offense, with Walker Little (71.6) keeping clean protection. Washington grabbed a TD on limited snaps; Lawrence efficiently aired it out and led the team in rushing with two scores; Etienne chipped in 49 rushing yards and solid pass protection.

Defensively, Devin Lloyd (89.9) sparked the contest with a pick-six, joined by Montaric Brown (79.7), Josh Hines-Allen (78.4), and Jourdan Lewis (60.4) in strong coverage and pressure; Travis Hunter (77.3) also contributed in coverage while limiting targets. The low marks came from Tim Patrick (32.7), Austin Johnson (38.6) and Foye Oluokun (42.2), who battled snaps and missed tackles. Overall, the Jaguars’ efficiency across phases drove the win.

Robert Saleh framed his postgame compliment of Liam Coen as a genuine acknowledgment of the Jaguars’ tape-work and player positioning, insisting his words were praise not a dig and that the league relentlessly chases leverage. He lauded Coen’s staff and Jacksonville’s physical, tape-driven offense after the 26-21 win at Levi’s Stadium.

Kyle Shanahan downplayed the incident as much ado about nothing while noting Saleh’s intent to compliment. The saga, unfolding ahead of Thursday night’s Rams game, underscores the NFL’s fixation on film study and coaching leverage as much as on playmaking ability.

Postgame heat flared when Robert Saleh and Liam Coen exchanged heated words after Jacksonville’s 26-21 win, sparked by Saleh’s claim that the Jaguars «legally stealing signals» is a strength. Kyle Shanahan downplayed the moment, insisting Saleh meant a compliment and that nothing illegal was involved. Trevor Lawrence steered the Jaguars with restraint, aided by a plus-four turnover margin, while players and coaches kept focus on execution ahead of the next matchup.

Jacksonville aims to stay in the AFC hunt with a get-right clash against an injury-depleted San Francisco squad after Nick Bosa’s season-ending injury. The Jaguars’ defense has been elite, and Trevor Lawrence must leverage better protection to spark a disciplined offensive game plan behind a rising supporting cast.

Key matchups shape the outcome: Jaguars LBs corralling Christian McCaffrey, Jacksonville DBs shadowing a shorthanded receiving corps, and Lawrence exploiting SF’s weakened front without Bosa. Pearsall and Brian Thomas Jr. provide fresh targets, while George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk complicate the Niners’ backups. A clean, turnover-light game could tilt the division race Jacksonville’s way.