Liam Coen thankful Jaguars have meaningful games to play in December
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen talks about what a dominant win over Tennessee means as the season heads into the stretch run.
The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Tennessee Titans 25-3, improving their record to 8-4.The team overcame several in-game injuries, particularly on the offensive line, to secure the victory.The Jaguars are focused on taking the season one week at a time and not looking ahead to the playoffs.
NASHVILLE — The Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4) have been here before.
Only this time, the Jaguars have a team that’s on the cusp of something, rather than floating by with unwarranted high expectations only to crash down at the last minute.
The latter is about the 2023 Jaguars team, which started 8-3, but collapsed to 9-8 down the stretch, missing the playoffs entirely. The team’s mental toughness was called into question regardless of the injuries to quarterback Trevor Lawrence and receiver Christian Kirk at the time.
That narrative is shed not just because it’s a new regime in Jacksonville, but the team’s mental toughness appears to be unquestioned. That’s especially true after a decisive 25-3 win over the Tennessee Titans (1-11) on Sunday.
“I think all the guys who’ve been here on that team in [2023] just now have scar tissues to learn from,” Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard said after the game. “So, I know for myself, it’s like a younger me would have just [been] like, ‘I can chill this week. Have Thanksgiving and we’re gonna beat the Titans.’ But I was dialed into my things and my routine, and that’s all it’s gonna be next week.”
The Jaguars dominated the Titans on Sunday.
There wasn’t a moment beyond Tennessee’s first drive that Jacksonville looked to be behind the eight ball. Instead, the Jaguars took care of business and find themselves in first place of the AFC South.
For head coach Liam Coen, none of that matters. All that matters is the game they have up next. The team won’t make it any bigger than it has to be, and can’t look ahead at all.
Jacksonville proved Sunday they aren’t playing with an uncalled-for sense of urgency, looking ahead to the next week or the postseason. But, it’s exactly where the team wants to be — playing meaningful football.
“One week at a time, 1-0. For the rest of the way, we’re giving ourselves an opportunity to play meaningful games in November and December, and that’s ultimately all you can ask for in this league, and the rest of the way, you’ve got competitive, meaningful football games,” Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said after the game Sunday.
Coen believes it’s essential for his team to take advantage of these opportunities early on.
“In Year 1, to have the opportunity to do those things and to earn that, I think it’s important for us to be able to continue to move forward as a team,” said Coen.
The key is to keep everything the same moving forward, Wingard said.
“If you do extra for a game next week, you’re doing it wrong because you just stick to your process, stay consistent, treat every game the same and just dial in,” Wingard added.
“That’s what’s so fun about these games. There’s the middle of October games where you’re kind of like [eh], but now it’s December, it’s cold out and it feels like football. It’s just something about it that just charges you up, and that’s the cool part, it just elevates your performance.”
Jaguars continue to showcase resilience, physicality vs. Titans
Though the Jaguars dominated the game Sunday, it wasn’t without some attrition.
The team entered Sunday down two offensive linemen, including starting right guard Patrick Mekari and backup tackle/guard Chuma Edoga missed this week’s games with injuries.
During the game, left tackle Walker Little was ruled out by halftime due to a concussion, sliding Cole Van Lanen in at left tackle. Van Lanen had started in place of Mekari on Sunday at right guard. He’s played multiple positions throughout his time in Jacksonville, including both tackle spots and both guard spots.
This time, the Jaguars were forced to use rookie guard Wyatt Milum, who took over for Van Lanen after he slid to the left side of the line.
Coen called the constant shifting on the offensive line “frustrating,” but spoke highly of Van Lanen and his ability to fill in just about anywhere.
“The continuity gets a little bit jacked up and the chemistry. But, again, Cole Van L:anen, the Swiss Army Knife, just keep smoving positions going into different spots. Wyatt Milum stepped up in a major way for us today and gave us a lot of meaningful snaps and allowed us to win the football game,” said Coen.
Coen continued to rave about Van Lanen and said he’s never been around an offensive lineman who can play four positions and operate as the jumbo tight end as well.
“He goes and does it at arguably one of the hardest positions to play in the National Football League, which is the offensive line,” said Coen. “The calls, the chemistry, the continuity… You’re preparing in your mind to go block [Titans defensive tackle Jeffery] Simmons inside, but then you got to go outside and go block [Titans defensive end Arden] Key. I mean, it’s just not that easy to do.”
The Jaguars continued to showcase that at the receiver position, too. Parker Washington went down due to a hip injury, forcing more reps for Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers down the stretch. It didn’t appear like Jacksonville skipped a beat and Meyers led the team with six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. Thomas returned to the lineup with two catches on three targets for 28 yards.
Jaguars won’t make next week vs. Colts bigger than it is
The Jaguars will face the Colts with an opportunity to move one-and-a-half games ahead of them in the AFC South, essentially putting Indianapolis on par with the Texans, who have five losses this season.
A win — or a loss — next week won’t make or break Jacksonville’s season. It’s important, but it’s also important for the team not to get ahead of themselves.
“Yeah, you don’t try to do more than you’ve done any other week. Obviously, it’s a really good team we’re playing and it’s an important game. But we’ve got five games left and we just have to take it one week at a time and it’s just the next one,” Lawrence said, before acknowledging that it is a big game at EverBank Stadium next week.
“You can’t change who you are and how you prepare and all those things and you got to treat it like the other ones. I do think we have a good process and we’ve been ready to go in every game and it’s going to be about how we execute on Sunday,” he added.
Lawrence finished the game 16 of 27 for 229 yards and two touchdowns. He began the game completing six of his first seven passes, including the two touchdowns.
The Jaguars hope to continue their winning streak next week against Indianapolis at home. Coen said after the game, the team is going to need all the support from fans that they can get.
“We need everybody. We need the city to show up and support us. We want to make them proud,” Coen said. “We’re continuing to try to put a product on the field that our city and community can be proud of, and that’s something that means a lot to our team. It means a lot to our players. We want to continue to do that. As much support as we can get from Duval, that would be huge.”
The Jaguars-Colts game kicks off at 1 p.m. Sunday at EverBank Stadium. It marks the team’s second home game since their Week 8 bye.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius.
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