The Jacksonville Jaguars have put themselves in a great position to make a long playoff run and reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.

The Jaguars are 6-2, lead the AFC South by three games, and are dominating their opponents at a pace not seen in at least 60 years.

That was before the moves the team made at the NFL's trade deadline.

Jacksonville acquired safety Jessie Bates III as well as DTs Jordan Davis and Davon Godchaux to bolster a defense that had lost DaVon Hamilton and Eric Murray for the season.

The team paid a steep price for their newcomers, sending out one first-round pick, two second-round picks, and a fifth- and sixth-round pick.

That is a lot of future capital, putting heavy pressure on the team to get to the Super Bowl this year.

Jacksonville sending a 2027 first-round and 2029 second-round pick for Davis has been heavily criticized by both ESPN and The Athletic, though Yahoo Sports gave the Jaguars a terrific grade for their deadline acquisitions.

However, despite their aggressive trade deadline, the Jaguars will still go only as far as quarterback Trevor Lawrence can take them.

Last season, Lawrence took a huge leap in his first season under head coach Liam Coen. Lawrence had a career year and was named an MVP finalist for the first time, finishing fifth in the voting.

While many had doubts that he had truly become an elite quarterback, Lawrence has been ever better this season.

In his sixth season, Lawrence has established himself as a legitimate MVP candidate while proving that the Jaguars are not just a one-year wonder.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell made his midseason awards picks for the NFL, and he has Lawrence currently third in the MVP race, trailing only Brock Burdy and Joe Burrow, who is his current winner.

As Barnwell notes, Lawrence has flashed greatness in the past, leading many to think he was going to reach his immense potential much sooner than he actually did. 

This season, Lawrence has proven that his stellar play in the second half of last season was not just a tease. 

“In 2022, Lawrence got white-hot during the second half of the season under a new coach in Doug Pederson, leading the Jags to an unexpected playoff berth. The hope was naturally that Lawrence had made the leap and would be an MVP contender in his third season. Though the Jags started 8-3 that next season, Lawrence wasn't really playing at that level before sustaining an ankle injury that tanked the team's season. The Jaguars missed the playoffs outright, Lawrence was awful down the stretch, and then he struggled through another injury-hit season in 2024.

“In 2025, Lawrence went nuclear down the stretch after growing more comfortable in the offense operated by his new head coach. This time, though, Lawrence and Liam Coen have gotten the version of Lawrence we saw at the end of last season to stick around into 2026. So much of that is Lawrence staying in rhythm and feeling confident in the answers he's getting from the offense. He can create out of structure, but 94% of Lawrence's throws are classified as either quick game or in-rhythm passes, a major step forward for a quarterback who had the fourth-worst career QBR in the league on throws after four or more seconds with the football.

“In years past, the Lawrence experience was topsy-turvy. It has been so much smoother this season. After four multiturnover games a season ago and a fifth in the playoff loss to the Bills, Lawrence doesn't have a single one so far this season. The only passer creating explosive plays more often than Lawrence (20.6%) is Allen (21.1%). After averaging between 7.0 and 7.2 yards in each of the past four seasons, Lawrence leads all quarterbacks in averaging 8.6 yards per attempt so far this season. He has the lowest off-target rate (9.2%) of any quarterback in the league and leads the NFL in QBR (91.5) on throws from outside the pocket, having developed a trademark throw when he's flushed from the pocket to the left and consistently manages to find an open receiver for a big play.

“There's no obvious flaw in Lawrence's performance, but the quarterbacks ahead of him have just been a tiny bit better across the board. One QB adds significant value with his legs, and if we compare Lawrence with the other as pure passers, the guy I have at No. 1 rates ahead of the Jaguars star in most categories. If this version of Lawrence had been up for contention a year ago, he would have been my MVP pick at midseason. Here, against stiffer competition, he's third.”

If Lawrence continues to play at his current level for the rest of the season, and the Jaguars continue to dominate, the 2021 top overall pick has a terrific chance of winning his first MVP award. 

There are plenty of deserving candidates in addition to Burrow and Purdy. The second half of the season should be very exciting. 

The Jaguars and Lawrence both have a chance to achieve something they have never achieved before, and it should be a blast to see if they can.