Coen wants his team to focus on final regular-season game and a chance to win AFC South

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Seven facts about the Jacksonville Jaguars’ postseason history

The Jaguars are about to embark on their ninth postseason in franchise history. Here are some facts about their previous eight postseasons.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen said his team will not be looking beyond their final regular-season game on Jan. 4 at home against the Tennessee Titans (1 p.m., FOX), even though the Jags have already clinched a playoff spot and thumped the Titans 25-3 in Nashville on Nov. 30. 

To be sure, there are serious stakes in play. The Jaguars (12-4), who beat Indianapolis 23-17 on Dec. 28 on the road, can clinch the AFC South with a victory. That means a home game for the first round of the NFL playoffs and possibly beyond. 

But Coen said the Jaguars didn’t get here by taking their eyes off the opponent at hand. 

He said it’s an attitude that is summarized in the word “CLEATS.” 

“Let’s live in the moment,” he said on Dec. 29 during a Zoom conference with the media. “Our whole culture of CLEATS ― commitment, love, energy, authentic, tough, smart. What that means is to be where your feet are, cleats in the ground. The next play is the most important play, and that’s got to be the way that we live, living in the moment. 

“It’s the same reason why we haven’t talked about the playoffs, we haven’t talked about the division, we haven’t talked about the conference, we haven’t talked about the Super Bowl,” Coen continued. “We’re talking about going 1-0 each week, and this week’s no different. Tony Boselli [the Jaguars Executive Vice-President] says it all the time. This is the most important game in the history of the franchise, because it’s the next one.” 

Coen also talked about the team’s knack of winning on the road under adverse circumstances, the continued good play by an offensive line battered all season by injuries, rallying after what could have been a devastating loss at Houston to win the last seven games and quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s toolbox. 

Coen, an avid golfer in the off-season, even worked in a Tin Cup reference.  

Liam Coen on the difference in playoff football 

“We haven’t had any of those conversations [with players who have never competed in the playoffs]. In 2018 [with the L.A. Rams] we played the Dallas Cowboys in a playoff game, which was my first ever playoff game experience in the NFL and I felt from the [press] box a different speed, physicality, all of that in a playoff game versus a regular season game in a lot of ways.  

“Now I think that the last X amount of games have been in a lot of ways around the league … playoff-caliber type games, not quite there. You watch that Rams-Seahawks game; you watch a lot of these games around the league, and so I think it’s trending that way towards the end of the season as you’re playing meaningful games in December and January. And this week for us will be no different. I mean, we’re playing for a division. We’re obviously playing for a number of things, and for us to go and execute at the level we need to, it needs to be trending towards playoff football, and I think a lot of these guys will understand that this week.”  

Liam Coen on road victories 

“That’s the warrior mentality we’ve been talking about for quite some time, since [a loss to] Houston was getting the job done, regardless of the circumstances, and regardless of guys being at 100 percent. The amount of people we had sick during the week, or the amount of guys playing in different spots they hadn’t played, or whatever it is, and getting the job done regardless, that’s what I’m proud of. 

“It’s no excuses, no flinch, no blink, just keep competing, especially down 10 on the road. I mean, that team [the Colts] was a Super Bowl-contending team a few weeks back with a different quarterback. That’s still a damn good football team, a well-coached football team. That’s a good win. Any of these are good, but to not play great in the red zone offensively and then have a little bit of a slow start as a team. I thought it was a gritty win for our guys.”  

Liam Coen on the Jaguars’ offensive line 

“Threw it, what? [37] times. And Trevor, he got hit some. They were pressuring. They were mixing it up with three-man, four-man, five, six-man pressures. They did a lot. I thought Trevor and the guys up front handled a lot of the things they were doing well. We beat the blitz a lot. They just kept bringing it. So you’re going to get some hits on the quarterback, and that’s the way it is. So I thought those guys [on the offensive line] played well. I thought we ran it better; we blocked better in the run game. But with multiple players playing, without a ton of reps, I was proud of that group.”  

Liam Coen on Lawrence’s success rate against blitzes  

“I really appreciate [offensive coordinator] Grant [Udinski] and [quarterbacks coach] Spence [Whipple] and [pass-game coordinator] Shane [Waldron], all these guys … their attention to detail when it comes to our blitz plan and the amount of different ways that we were able to beat the blitz yesterday.  

“You look at the second play of the game, that was a check to [Travis Etienne, for a 15-yard gain], the out cut to Parker [Washington], that was a check, the run to DJ Dallas [for 17 yards], that was a check. Those were all what we call ‘toolbox plays.’ Those aren’t in the play call but Trevor is using the toolbox that he has at his disposal each week based on the look that he’s being presented and getting us into those plays. 

“So that’s preparation, those guys schematically having that plan, and coming up with that plan, and then giving them those looks throughout the week, so that he’s prepared for those looks and those moments and going out and executing it at a high level. I was very proud of the way that Trevor handled the blitz, the way that we were prepared for the pressure.”  

Liam Coen on rallying after Houston loss  

“Honesty, you know, real conversations. Credit all of us, players, coaches, everybody in here, looking ourselves in the mirror and having some honest evaluations and conversations and taking that information, coaching, points, reflection, whatever it is, and doing something with it and doing something about it. 

“I won’t get into too many of the actual conversations and details that occurred, but it was at multiple positions, different sides of the ball. We just needed to have some honest conversations about what we really wanted this thing to look like at the end of the day, and credit this team for being honest with themselves, with each other, and coming together because of it. So many times we learn and grow in life through hard stuff, hard things, hard times, and football is no different. It’s not for the glory … it’s because of the life lessons that you learn throughout this process that helps you become a better person, player.”  

Liam Coen on Jaguars’ difficulty covering kicks vs. Colts 

“That’s a good special teams group [with the Colts] … was a little concerned going into the game. We played a little bit outside of our jobs on a few of those returns that we need to clean up, and then we had this silly block in the back on a return that we get out to the 50, and instead we’re backed up to the 18. That’s a 30-yard penalty there.

“But our specialists played special. Cam [Little] making two critical, huge kicks, [punter] Logan [Cooke] flipping the field on a big-time punt where [Rayuan Lane III] makes a great play as the gunner. Ross [Maticsik] was automatic with his snaps, and LeQuint Allen did a great job on teams as well. So couple things to clean up, but I know that that group will continue to respond, and they’re doing a great job for us.”  

Liam Coen on bouncing back from bad plays 

“That’s something that we’ve stressed a lot here. The most important thing is the next play. As coaches, we’ve got to be caddies in these games … a next shot mentality. Give him the next club and let him go hit the next shot with confidence. You go back to ‘Tin Cup’ and remember where he [character Roy McAvoy, played by Kevin Costner] hits seven balls in the water and [the caddie] keeps giving you the club. That’s our jobs. 

“Winning in this league is hard. Executing in this league is hard, and so you’ve got to give each other and give yourself a little grace, especially in a game where you might have an awesome play. Well, great, let’s feed off that, but the next play is completely its own entity, right? Anything can happen on the next play. Okay, you just screwed up, you had a missed assignment, or you got beat one-on-one. Well, okay, go beat his a– the next play. That’s the beauty of playing the game.”