Jaguars 36, Colts 19
Q. Stakes were obviously so big today. What did you see terms of toughness and focus out of your team?
LIAM COEN: I think our guys took control of the moment, I guess you could say, in terms of understanding that, yeah, this was a big game in a lot of ways, and I think our guys have responded in so many ways in these big games, right?
You look at Kansas City, San Francisco, some of those moments where I think they ultimately always kind of feel disrespected, and that's something that continues to feed our team.
Q. Liam, in your first year, you've won a lot of different ways, but what's it been like the last two weeks here against divisional opponents to get out early and increase the lead but be able to hang on to that lead? What's it been like the last two weeks?
LIAM COEN: Starting fast was something we didn't really do a great job of at times this season, and I think we've done a better job of executing early in games and also taking the momentum and using it. Like actually coming and playing complementary football. Our defense did an unbelievable job again creating turnovers, and we were able to take advantage of them.
I think this team is continuing to gain confidence, especially our quarterback right now, and that's something that ultimately is going to continue to hopefully lead us.
Q. Trevor had a lot of success throwing downfield today. What did you see from him? How big can unlocking that part of the offense be for you guys?
LIAM COEN: Huge, huge. When you can attack every blade of grass is something that ultimately we want to be able to do. To get BTJ going down the field vertically, great throws and catches from those guys. Tim Patrick made a few big plays down the field as well. That's a huge part of this game is being able to stretch people vertically.
So much of our pass game has been a little bit more intermediate in trying to create more zones and catching a run and to make -- these guys just made plays today in a lot of ways. Those weren't phenomenally schemed up plays. Those were our players going out and being special.
Q. Seeing Travis Etienne and what he was able to do the in run game, how important was that?
LIAM COEN: It was huge. In those kind of games, you need to grind out the clock, continue to have balance. The huge turnover we got and we hit the 28 or whatever it was yard run, being explosive in the run game in some points but also grinding out some of those hard, physical runs. That's got to be a recipe for our success as we move forward.
Q. Liam, Trevor's confidence in those deep balls, that doesn't happen overnight. Is that a product of maybe some of the way they're playing defense, the way you guys are running the ball, or is it you finally got into him let it go, man.
LIAM COEN: We've worked pretty hard, I would say, throughout the whole season in practice watching tape and really trying to detail and get more reps at throwing the ball down the field. We've been pretty diligent about every Wednesday in Amomba going and throwing the ball. Let's throw the go ball. Let's keep throwing it down the field a little bit.
Again, this Thursday, we tried to do the same thing with him and BT again on the first play, Amomba again. We've tried. We've worked at it. Credit these guys for sticking with it and continuing to have confidence in each other to go make plays.
So I think that us being able to run it may have helped in some of those, but really a few of those were just those guys going out and making huge plays.
Q. When you have a team that feeds on disrespect, how does that continue to go when maybe the respect starts to come, which might be where you are right now?
LIAM COEN: I don't know if we'll ever really get it. That's the beauty of it. It ain't coming. You know that. It's not. And that's the beauty of it. And that's totally fine. It's one of those things that I think the group right now -- Houston was good for us. I do believe that. The end of Houston was good for us. To know that each game is going to be a 60-minute football game and our mindset and mentality has to be that way.
When you get into December and you're going to go play some really difficult games on the schedule coming up and every one counts. Trevor just said it. Every one is exactly the same right now moving forward for us.
Very proud of these guys, getting to nine wins, but a lot of work to be done.
Q. Sounds like you don't honestly want the respect.
LIAM COEN: I don't think it helps. I've heard the rat poison before. Everybody loves you when you're doing it well, and then you're always going to find something. That's the competitive advantage that you have. Every player has to get themselves into a place, right? You always hear the stories about Jordan and how he would create things to get himself into a place to go compete.
Our guys just keep finding ways to get a little bit pissed off and go play their tails off and execute, though, at a higher level. That's the thing we're starting to see a little bit better since the Chargers game is playing with an edge but also going out and executing the plan at a higher level.
Q. I apologize for bringing up last year, but when you watched the film, you saw the complete lack of complementary football. You mentioned it a moment ago. To get those takeaways and turn right around, one play later, score and get points off of takeaways, how important that is to the team.
LIAM COEN: It's so big. It's one of the biggest aspects of Campy's defense that I've appreciated from day one was we want to stop the run and limit the run, and we want to try to take the ball away.
Now, those were two things that we really tried to emphasize from the moment that we got here together as a staff. They did a phenomenal job all throughout OTAs, mini-camp, training camp really preaching the ball disruption and to continue to be able to punch him a rake, be opportunistic. The zone coverage drops we've worked so much at. To see those come to fruition is exactly why you coach. You typically get what you emphasize in this league.
Q. How impressed were you by Travon Walker just being able to go out there after what he's been through with the knee injury, gets that fourth down stop. How impressive was that?
LIAM COEN: Very proud of Travon. I know he's been chomping at the bit to get back out there and go put it on tape. That's what he's been trying to go do. He stayed consistent. He worked his tail off from a rehab standpoint and was able to go out there and make a difference for us today.
He's somebody that we lean on heavily. We count on him to go out and make plays for us. I was very proud of him today.
Q. Bottling up Jonathan Taylor for most of the game, what did it say about your guys' run defense?
LIAM COEN: It's the number one pillar of our defense, and that standard has to continue to remain the theme. Just keeping the standards high of that's the kind of football team that we would like to be. That's the kind of football team that we are right now is having the ability to go stop the run and whether it's in single high or two-high, you guys know that helps you more than anything when you're able to do both.
So credit the defense, Campy, the staff. But the players going out and executing the plan, and really it comes down to whupping blocks. You can call a million different plays and calls, but our guys have a mindset mentality to not stay blocked, and that's the critical thing.
Thanks, guys.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports