The Jacksonville Jaguars battled to the last second to pull off a 23-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17. This victory sits them at just one victory away from securing the AFC South crown. With this win, the Jaguars improved their record and set their sights on a pivotal matchup against the Tennessee Titans in Week 18, which will take place at EverBank Stadium.
Though it was an overall victory, the Jaguars faced a lot of adversity during their game against the Colts—specifically in the red zone. Quarterback Trevors Lawrence was under fire after his brutal mistake sealed the fate of the first loss. His end zone interception ended what should have been a fruitful scoring drive. Travis Etienne fumbled on a trick play. This error only compounded the offensive issues the team faced in trying to score.
Liam Coen, the Jaguars’ head coach, assured everyone about the talent on team and their commitment to getting better. Rather than focusing solely on winning the division or making the playoffs, they’re focused on improving week in and week out.
“We haven’t really talked a ton about goals, about the division playoffs, conference, Super Bowl,” – Coen
Coen’s method lines up with a wish from the organization to centralize their focus entirely on trying to win just one game each week. The Jaguars have had a soul-crushing inability to score touchdowns in the red zone all season and it was just as steely-eyed against the Colts.
That was a massive misfire from the Jaguars in a prime opportunity to put this game out of reach. It was a huge fourth-and-1 at the Indianapolis 24-yard line. When Lawrence was stuffed for no gain, it resulted in an outburst from team leaders to the coaching staff.
“For us to take the necessary steps offensively, we’ve got to be able to gain a fricking yard,” – Coen
Lawrence’s desperate tipped-ball interception was a microcosm of the team’s true form. On cue, Etienne’s fumble on a poorly conceived trick play with Jakobi Meyers further compounded their struggles in capitalizing on scoring opportunities. The impact of these failures was lamented by Coen in his disappointment over these missed opportunities.
“We just kind of tricked it off in the red zone a few times. So frustrating. Can’t do it,” – Coen
The day after the game, Lawrence acknowledged he shouldn’t have done it. With a better throw that play likely would have resulted in a touchdown rather than a gift of three points to the Colts.
“I should have just made a better throw and hit Parker for the touchdown, but you give away three points there, give them some momentum,” – Lawrence
The Jaguars’ path to securing their third AFC South title in franchise history hinges on their performance against the Titans next week. And the team’s attention should still be on executing better, red zone inefficiencies that have tripped their feet up and delayed their rise.
Coen continued to double down on his focus of cultivating a winning mentality with the club. He talked about completing contests on their own terms being a point of pride. He further emphasized the importance of keeping a sharp focus on short-term goals.
“But, yeah, I want to teach these guys how to go finish a game on the offense’s terms,” – Coen
The Jaguars deserve to be as bullish on their first playoff berth as that has been the primary talking point, a refreshing juxtaposition this winter. Today, those grantees are all eyes on the prize. With the division title in sight, they have the intensity to go out there and work on what they need to work on. They seek revenge-defeat against Tennessee!
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