JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Get ready, Jacksonville, the Jaguars are officially in the NFL playoffs.
The Jaguars clinched a berth on Monday night after San Francisco beat Indianapolis 48-27. The Colts’ loss ended their hopes for the playoffs and pushed Jacksonville (11-4) across the line to qualify. It’s a spectacular turnaround for the Jaguars under head coach Liam Coen, who has guided the franchise to the playoffs in his first season. He joins Doug Marrone (2017) and Doug Pederson (2023) as the only coaches in Jacksonville history to take the team to the playoffs in their first season.
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Both Marrone and Pederson won playoff games in their trips to the playoffs in those seasons, including the AFC championship game in 2017. The question now is where the Jaguars will wind up. They’re hanging on to a one-game lead over the Texans for the AFC South title and would be a No. 3 seed if the playoffs started today. If the Jaguars slip up in either of their next two games (at Indianapolis this week and home against the Titans in Week 18), that could leave a path to the division title for Houston.
The Jaguars are red hot, winners of six straight, and they’re coming off a 34-20 win over the No. 1 seed in the AFC, Denver, in Week 16. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has played at an elite level during Jacksonville’s winning streak, much like he did when the Jaguars had a second-half surge in 2023.
Jacksonville has thrived under Coen, who has rebuilt the Jaguars after a disastrous final season under Pederson (4-13).