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or the first time since 2022, the Jacksonville Jaguars are in prime position to clinch both a playoff spot and win the AFC South. Beating the Denver Broncos in Week 16, the Jaguars improved to 11-4 and tightened their grip on the AFC– where their hopes for the number one seed remain very much alive. On a six-game winning streak, the Jaguars are proving that they are a major Super Bowl contender this year.
But the storyline from the Jaguars’ week 16 game is not the win, it is what was said about them before the game. Heading into the matchup, Broncos head coach Sean Payton spoke to the media and made a comment about the Jaguars being a small market team. After the win, Jaguars coach Liam Coen spoke on the comments and suggested that there was some added motivation in the win due to Payton’s comments.
Coen Highlights the Team’s Underdog Mentality
Even in the seasons where the Jaguars are good, they are always viewed as an underdog. Since joining the league as an expansion team in 1995, the Jaguars have eight playoff appearances and four division titles but have never won a conference title or made a Super Bowl. This year, in Coen’s first season, the Jaguars are hungrier than ever and have separated themselves from the pack as a team ready to take the crown. Beating the Broncos, the No. 1 seed in the AFC, Coen and the Jaguars admitted that Payton’s comments put a chip on their shoulder and triggered their underdog mentality.
“Just thankful that a small-market team like us can come into a place like Mile High and get it done,” Coen said.
Coen made sure that his team heard Payton’s comments so that they could hold onto it as they entered the game. And not only did it pay off en route to their sixth straight win– putting them closer to their goals for the season– but it was the Jaguars’ first win in franchise history over a team with 12 wins or more this late into a season. The win in itself, as well as the Jaguars’ resurgent season, has turned heads– but Coen is fine if the Jaguars are still viewed as an underdog going forward.
“We don’t care. We really don’t care about the narrative,” Coen said. “I’m sorry to say that, but it’s only helping us. So I want the narrative to keep coming.”
Jaguars’ Road to the Playoffs
Despite the 11-4 record, the Jaguars are not officially in the playoffs at the time of writing, needing the Indianapolis Colts to lose their week 16 matchup on Monday night to the San Francisco 49ers. But, 11 wins in a season almost always guarantees a playoff spot so if the Jaguars do not clinch in week 16, a win over the Colts in week 17 or the Tennessee Titans in Week 18 will secure them a spot.
In terms of winning the AFC South, the Jaguars need to either win out or see the Houston Texans lose another game– sitting only one game ahead of them for the division lead. But one thing is for certain– the Jaguars will be a scary team to face in the playoffs and should be taken very seriously.
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