INDIANAPOLIS — The Jacksonville Jaguars did not celebrate making the playoffs after they clinched a spot last Monday night following the San Francisco 49ers’ victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
They didn’t even talk about it. Too many other things to worry about, coach Liam Coen said.
“We haven’t really talked a ton about goals, about the division playoffs, conference, Super Bowl,” Coen said after the Jaguars’ 23-17 victory Sunday over Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“We have not had any of those conversations as a team. Not really on purpose, more so just because you’re really trying to focus on getting better because there’s so much to coach off of every week for us. And even through a lot of wins, we’re able to coach off a lot of stuff and keeping the mindset pretty singular on 1-0 each week.”
But this week, they have to think about the future because the Jaguars are one victory from winning the AFC South. If Jacksonville beats the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium in Week 18, the Jaguars claim their third AFC South title in franchise history.
Not only do the Jaguars (12-4) have the chance to win the division, but they could also earn the AFC’s No. 1 seed, which comes with a first-round bye. If the Jaguars beat the Titans, the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Denver Broncos, and the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots, the Jaguars would have home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
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Though before they think about the playoffs, the Jaguars need to fix two issues that showed up in their victory over the Colts if Jacksonville has a chance to make a deep run: red zone turnovers and closing out the game on offense.
The Jaguars turned it over twice in the red zone — a fumble by Travis Etienne Jr. and an end zone interception by quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Etienne’s fumble came on a trick play (he failed to secure a pitch from receiver Jakobi Meyers), and Lawrence made a bad throw as he tried to take advantage of a linebacker covering slot receiver Parker Washington.
“We just kind of tricked it off in the red zone a few times,” Coen said. “So frustrating. Can’t do it.”
The Jaguars have been one of the NFL’s best red zone teams in the four previous games, scoring touchdowns on 72.2% of their red zone trips, which was tied for third best in the league in Weeks 13 through 16. Sunday’s two red zone turnovers were the Jaguars’ first since Week 12 against Arizona and gave the Jaguars a league-high six this season.
“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 said. “So, there are a lot of things that we need to clean up, and I know we will.”
The Jaguars also failed to break a 17-17 tie with less than 10 minutes to play. Coen went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Indianapolis 24-yard line instead of attempting a field goal, but Lawrence was stopped for no gain.
The Jaguars got bailed out by cornerback Jarrian Jones‘ interception, which led to Cam Little‘s 42-yard field goal to give Jacksonville a 20-17 lead with 6:58 to play. The Jaguars converted another fourth-and-1 from the Indy 39-yard line on the first play after the two-minute warning, but the drive got backed up after a 5-yard loss by Washington on second down, and Little kicked a 53-yard field goal with 18 seconds to play.
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Jaguars will win AFC South with Week 18 win over Titans
Michael DiRocco breaks down the AFC South title-clinching scenarios for the Jaguars following their Week 17 win over the Colts.
It’s not the first time the Jaguars have struggled in that position. They failed on a fourth-and-1 from the Arizona 24-yard line late in the fourth quarter in a game they led 24-21. The Cardinals tied the score with six seconds remaining, and the Jaguars eventually won 27-24 in overtime.
“For us to take the necessary steps offensively, we’ve got to be able to gain a fricking yard,” Coen said. “And that’s a little agitating, and I’m frustrated with myself because you’re like, ‘OK, they were struggling. Defense had momentum a little bit there. Hindsight, maybe kick it, force them to be a little bit more aggressive and knowing that they were struggling to push it down the field a little bit there.’
“But, yeah, I want to teach these guys how to go finish a game on the offense’s terms.”
The Jaguars survived to win their seventh consecutive game, which Etienne said is the main takeaway from Sunday’s game.
“I feel like we came in here to win the game, and we did that,” Etienne said. “We know we’ve got a lot that needs cleaning up, but can’t be frustrated when you go out there, win the game and play hard.”
And then they can start talking about the playoffs.
