JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Liam Coen and the Jaguars have made one thing very clear.
They’re not just happy to be here. There’s more left to do. Much more.
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When the Jaguars (13-4) host the Bills (12-5) in the AFC wild card playoffs on Sunday at 1, Jacksonville will do so as the hottest team in the NFL. The Jaguars are riding an eight-game winning streak that includes victories over the No. 1-seeded Broncos as well as the No. 7-seed Chargers.
There may still be quite a bit of disrespect floating around (the 1 p.m. Sunday timeslot felt disrespectful to the Jaguars fanbase), but there’s one way to remedy that: win.
“A lot of work goes into this preparation, a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of physical, emotional, mental time and energy goes into this thing. And to see the players enjoy moments... That was something we talked about Saturday night in the team meeting was to stay in the moment, to enjoy every moment of that game yesterday,” Coen said.
“Every play, every single second of the game is its own moment and to stay in the moment, to live in the moment and then to enjoy the moment. And knowing that there’s a lot of work to be done, nothing is truly finished right now.”
Romping to a Week 18 blowout of rival Tennessee, the Jaguars served notice with a sledgehammer that they are far from what much of the national media thinks of them. Jacksonville clinched the AFC South title for just the third time in franchise history and earned the No. 3 seed for the playoffs. They also won two AFC Central titles (1997, ’99) before they were realigned to the South in 2002.
The narrative throughout the week is likely to be laser focused on Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, the reigning NFL MVP, and if he can get the Bills back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1994. Allen and Lamar Jackson are perhaps the two highest profile quarterbacks in the current era to not reach that game. To even get past the opening round, Buffalo will have to find a way to put the brakes on the red-hot Jaguars.
Jacksonville has looked like a different team after one of the most unbelievable losses in franchise history, 36-29 to Houston in Week 10 that dropped the team to 5-4. The Jaguars let the Texans and backup quarterback Davis Mills to erase a 19-point deficit in the second half in that game. Instead of allowing a loss like that to derail the season, Coen said it instead galvanized the entire team. The Jaguars haven’t lost since.
“It’s exciting. It definitely does kick up a little bit, but this is exactly where you want to be,” said center Robert Hainsey. “This is why we play the game is to get to this opportunity and it’s just another opportunity.”
Coen has certainly changed almost everything about the Jaguars, from helping Trevor Lawrence evolve into a bona fide top 10 quarterback to bolstering the defense into one of the league’s best. He thinks the intensity of Sunday’s game being win or else, and being played at EverBank Stadium, will make it an electric afternoon.
“It may be a little bit more physical. I don’t know. I think that’s just kind of what you feel when you know it’s one and done, right? When you know you’re in a game that it’s win or go home,” Coen said. “So, I’m sure the intensity level will be up-ticked a little bit, but I think our guys will be ready for it.”
Lawrence has played the best football of his career (29 TD passes, 9 rushing TDs this season) during the winning streak and has helped the Jacksonville offense produce a franchise-best 474 points. The Jaguars averaged 27.9 points a game this year (sixth in the NFL) compared to 18.8 last year (26th). Coen said Lawrence should be in the MVP conversation.
“I think so. You’re judged as a quarterback by your team’s record, by winning and losing, by how much you elevate the team and ultimately what you do in the playoffs,” he said. “So much of that gets I think resolved around this time and the best rise. The best rise and the best elevate the people around him. And I think he’s continued to do that down this stretch.”
While a 13-4 record (the second best in franchise history) and division crown are nice, neither Coen nor the players are content with that.
“We know the AFC South championship was never the goal. That’s a byproduct of us and where we want to go, but we’re not overlooking that,” said linebacker Devin Lloyd. “That’s a great accomplishment. Thirteen wins, a great accomplishment. This team has had a lot of special moments and for us it’s just looking forward to continue building on those special moments.”