NASHVILLE — The 8-4 Jacksonville Jaguars are tied for first place in the AFC South after Sunday’s 25-3 road victory over the Tennessee Titans.
And a week from now, they could have that spot all to themselves.
The Jaguars’ next game is against the Indianapolis Colts (8-4) at EverBank Stadium, a place where the Colts haven’t won since 2014. It is undoubtedly the biggest game in first-year head coach Liam Coen’s tenure.
Jacksonville was one of the NFL’s worst teams in 2024 at 4-13. But in 13 games, the Jaguars could go from worst to first — signaling the franchise is heading in the right direction.
“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,” Coen said after Sunday’s win. “And the rest of the [season] you’ve got competitive, meaningful football games and I think that that’s just an important thing for us to go through as a team in Year 1. To have the opportunity to do those things and to earn that I think is important for us to be able to continue to move forward as a team.”
The Jaguars got to this point despite quarterback Trevor Lawrence being ranked 24th in QBR (43.0), receiver Brian Thomas Jr. struggling with drops (five), a seemingly continual offensive line shuffle because of injuries, franchise sack leader Josh Hines-Allen with only four sacks, tight end Brenton Strange missing give games because of a hip injury, injuries in the secondary to cornerback Jourdan Lewis and safety Eric Murray, and the loss of first-round draft pick Travis Hunter to a season-ending knee injury.
But Coen has revitalized a team that multiple people inside the franchise described as soft after the 2024 season into a tougher group. They’ve won two road overtime games (Las Vegas and Arizona), won in San Francisco, beat Kansas City on “Monday Night Football” with a touchdown with 23 seconds remaining, and followed up a blown 19-point fourth-quarter lead in Houston with a 35-6 rout of the Los Angeles Chargers.
“It’s definitely a step in the direction if we go handle business and do what we need to do,” safety Andrew Wingard said after beating the Titans. “I think our identity has been solid.
“Just going out and handling business and good grittiness and toughness in this group.”
Lawrence is one of 20 players still on the roster that were also on the 2023 team, which started 8-3 and were in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC before finishing 1-5 and missing the playoffs.
Owner Shad Khan fired coach Doug Pederson after last season’s 4-13 record and picked Coen, who had been Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator in 2024, to lead the turnaround. This is the first time Coen has been a head coach on any level.
“We’ve taken it week by week and hasn’t always gone perfect, but we’ve just kept playing and found a way to respond every week,” Lawrence said. “We’ve had it tough all season — we’ve had some big wins, we’ve had some tough losses, and you just keep playing.”
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Lawrence, Jags cruise past division foe Titans
Trevor Lawrence throws a pair of touchdown passes in the Jaguars’ win over the Titans.
Now the Jaguars have a chance to take control of the AFC South, but it won’t be easy.
The Colts will present the Jaguars with their toughest test of the season. They lead the league in scoring (29.8 points per game) and Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL in rushing (1,282 yards) and rushing touchdowns (15). Daniel Jones has enjoyed a career renaissance, throwing for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns under coach Shane Steichen.
But the Jaguars to their credit lead the NFL in rush defense (82.4 yards per game) and are 11th in total defense and are allowing 21.1 points per game. They held the Titans to 188 yards, which was the second-lowest total they’ve allowed this season.
“[Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile] just continues to do a great job in his first year as a coordinator,” Coen said. “The whole staff I thought had a really good plan, and the players executed at a high level. I thought the front and the coverage were in alignment in the back end especially, and we were able to get after the quarterback at a pretty good clip.”
Defensively, the Colts rank in the top 10 in scoring defense (20.8 points per game), rushing defense (98.3 yards per game), and red zone efficiency (54.3%) — all things that could challenge the Jaguars offense.
“We come back, we prepare the same way that we always have, especially these last couple weeks, keep our focus internally and out there and play our brand of football, and we’ll win this game,” Hines-Allen said.
Coen acknowledged this week is an important home game for him and the team.
“We need our fans to pack the place out and be loud for us and get a home-field advantage, but playing a really good Colts team,” Coen said. “It’s an exciting one. Obviously a lot on the line and that’s how every game is going to be moving forward though, and that’s where we want to be.
“That’s the position we want to be in and it feels good.”
