Liam Coen preparing Jaguars for Chiefs, Monday Night Football, says ‘the stage is the stage’

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen was in the spotlight after his post-game strife with San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh on Sept. 28.

He’s hoping the Jaguars will stay in the spotlight after their Monday Night Football game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Jaguars will host the Chiefs in primetime on Oct. 6 as they try to win their fourth game of the season.

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It’s currently the only primetime game for the Jaguars, the sole chance at them showing their stuff as the only football game on. Coen is hoping they’ll carry the momentum of the first four weeks of the season and build on it.

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“We can’t hide from the fact, hey, it’s Monday night football, this is great,” Coen said. “They obviously put this game on the schedule for a reason, we’ve earned the opportunity, but yeah, it’s one of those that you got to go take it.”

The Jaguars have not won a Monday Night Football game since 2011 when they beat the Baltimore Ravens 12-7. They haven’t had many primetime opportunities in recent years and haven’t performed well in the ones they’ve had.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen runs on the field during an NFL scrimmage event at EverBank Stadium, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

In the last five seasons they are 4-5 in primetime games with three of those wins coming during their 2022 playoff run. They’re 1-5 without those games, a poor showing for a team that’s underperformed in the spotlight.

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“We talked about in the team meeting today to go play a cleaner 60 minutes and see what happens,” Coen said. “We have done so many good things. It is truly about us getting better, improving, taking the next step in all three phases and just go trust it and play.”

Liam Coen, wife sponsor tickets for first responders and teachers

New Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen poses for a photo with wife Ashley Coen after speaking and being introduced during a press conference Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Coen and his wife, Ashley, sponsored 50 tickets for teachers and first responders to the Monday Night Football game. It gave them an opportunity to give back to the community in their first season in Jacksonville.

“Just trying to give back and try to connect and get as many people that we can get here and give some of the community an opportunity to come to the game,” Coen told reporters about why it was important for his family to gift the tickets.

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He understands the significance of a primetime game and wants to make sure EverBank Stadium is packed as can be.

“It’s not perfect but I do think our players care and they’re trying to do everything they can to put the best product out there for our fanbase.”

During the three primetime wins in 2022, the stadium was packed. Even as the Jaguars found themselves trailing 27-0 against the Chargers in the playoff game fans remained engaged.

Now, the Jagaurs are attempting to return to form as they play in the spotlight for the first time in the Liam Coen era.

“That’s a great op for our whole fan base, the community, the city to come and support,” Coen said. “We’ve tried to put a product on the field each week that our fans can be proud of, can be proud of the way that our players compete, how tough they’re playing.”

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The Jaguars will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. on Oct. 6.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Liam Coen says Jaguars given Monday Night Football stage for a reason