JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker knows the importance of finishing strong.
Walker’s second year in the NFL saw him as a key piece to one of the NFL’s best latest examples of why it is so important. In 2023, the Jaguars got off to an 8-3 start and looked like a sure thing to makke the playoffs.
Instead, the Jaguars lost five of their last six games, including a Week 18 game against the lowly Tennessee Titans, and never made the playoffs.
That is why Walker and so many of of his other teammates aren’t stressing the recent two-game skid that has the Jaguars at 4-3. It isn’t an ideal place to be after starting 4-1, but they know there is a lot of football left.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) runs off the field after the game of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“Yeah, it’s not always about how you start, but it’s about how you finish,” Walker said this week. “Like we got 10 weeks left of the regular season and we’re going to go out there and make the best of all 10 of these games.”
The last three games have seen the Jaguars’ defense slip, though that is hardly Walker’s fault. He did not play vs. the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5 due to a wrist injury and has played limited snaps in Weeks 6 and 7 as a result.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) flexes after a sack on Houston Texans quarterback CJ. Stroud (7) during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
But while he has been sidelined, the Jaguars have allowed 83 points in three games (over 27 points per game). The offense has been worse, but the defense knows it needs to improve, too.
“Personally like I say, just continuously stick together and buy into the plan as far as what the coaches give us throughout the game, throughout the week,” Walker said. “And just go out there and execute, do our job. Everybody has to look deep down inside and just continuously improve ourselves individually, and then come together collectively as a defense to execute the play calls.”
Sep 21, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) hypes up the crowd during a third down against the Houston Texans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
Walker and the Jaguars know exactly what mistakes they need to clean up. Now, they just have to do it.
“I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating, obviously, because the way I look at it’s still early in the season,” Walker said. “Like I say, we’re going into a bye Week now, so it’s time for us to just take a little step back and as we go into this bye Week and observe all the things that we potentially made those same mistakes on and just try our best not to make those same mistakes over again.”
Sep 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) takes a hit to the head from Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) during the first quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
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