Liam Coen Pinpoints Preparation as Difference vs. Pats

After the Week 2 loss to the Denver Broncos, coach Liam Coen identified practice as one of the reasons for the loss. 

He said the team did not have its best practices on Thursday and Friday leading up to the road test, and he saw many of the issues on the practice field translate to the game. 

However, Coen said his team got after it in practice leading up to the matchup with the Patriots — and Sunday’s 35-6 result showed the preparation made all the difference. 

“Pretty clear message in terms of, all right, guys, how we practiced going into Denver and how we played versus how we practiced going to England and how we played,” Coen said. “It’s right there. It’s so clear and obvious.”

And Coen said this trend hasn’t started with the 2026 season. He’s seen the trend of how impactful a good or bad week of practice can be since his first season. 

“Last year, fourth quarter, you fall apart against Houston, you have a good week of practice, you beat a good football team, 35-6,” Coen said. “This year, fall apart in the fourth quarter, you have a good week of practice, beat a good football team, 35-6. So, I think for the group … it was eye-opening in ways to say, ‘hey, guys, it’s not some like crazy formula here.’”

Coen said not only the staff has noticed the impact of practice, but the players as well. The way players also referenced the week of practice as part of the reason for the win showed how much of a difference-maker it was for the squad, he said. 

And the improvement wasn’t concentrated in any one area. The team improved across the board, not only in its consistency through all four quarters, but in its ability to play complementary football. The defense forced three turnovers by New England quarterback Drake Maye and held the Patriots out of the end zone for the entire contest, while the offense had five touchdown drives and posted 315 offensive yards. 

However, Coen specifically noted quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s improvement from last week to Sunday. 

“He had very good command of the system this week, and the preparation was there,” he said.

“I didn’t think he had as many turnover-worthy plays this week that maybe showed up a little bit in Denver with some of the missed [opportunities] that they had.”

Lawrence went 19-of-29 passing this week for three touchdowns and one interception, marking a turnaround from his zero-touchdown, one-interception outing in Denver, where he completed 58.6% of his passes.

Now the challenge for the Jaguars comes not with responding, but with repeating. The Jaguars face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at 1 p.m. on the road. 

“How do we simulate, replicate, but also elevate the standard so that we keep building week in and week out,” Coen said. “And that’s where leadership, the players, we all have to be extremely accountable and understanding what it truly takes to go win games on Sundays.”

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