There was much reason to celebrate Monday night in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Jacksonville Jaguars had the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs in the house for a Week 5 “Monday Night Football” matchup, and not only did they beat them 31-28, but they did it in stunning fashion.
The Chiefs jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but penalties and missed opportunities slowed their momentum, allowing the game to slip away.
After a few scores kept the Jaguars in the game, a 99-yard interception returned for a touchdown by linebacker Devin Lloyd started a dramatic momentum shift for the Jags in the second half.
From then on, it was a back-and-forth between Patrick Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence that would end in a near misfire with under a minute to go, as Lawrence fell coming out of the snap, only to get up and run in and score, solidifying the 31-28 win.
After the game, Jaguars’ first-year head coach Liam Coen had himself a heck of a post-game speech that fired up his team in celebration of the hard-fought win.
“Guys, talk about resilience,” Coen told his team as he jumped around the locker room. “Down 14-0, come back, one play at a time. How about Devin (expletive) Lloyd?”
Coen is a long way from his introductory press conference, where he became an internet meme for saying Jaguars fans’ famous chant, “Duuuval.”
In fact, Jaguars fans seem to be buying what he’s selling after watching his passionate postgame speech.
“Someone get this man a TED Talk 🎤🔥,” one fan wrote.
“Could Coen actually be the culture shift the Jaguars needed?” asked another.
“Love the energy from Coach Coen! That victory speech is fire! 🔥🗣️ Go Jags!” a third fan exclaimed.
Jacksonville now sits tied with the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South at 4-1. Those two teams meet Dec. 7 for the first of their two matchups this season.
The Jaguars are playing perhaps their best football since their last playoff win nearly three years ago. And while there’s a long road ahead for the Jaguars to prove that they’re a legit contender in the postseason, there’s much reason to celebrate in Duval County, after the Jags shocked the back-to-back Super Bowl champions (2022, 2023) on a national stage.
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