Liam Coen said the Jacksonville Jaguars showed meaningful growth in their 22-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 4 at Paycor Stadium. Jacksonville never trailed, improved to 3-1 and remained atop the AFC South through the first quarter of the 2026 season. Coen spoke to the media Monday as the Jaguars began preparing for two consecutive games in London.
“To walk out of that stadium yesterday, with a similar situation and getting it done, that’s growth,” Coen said.
Jacksonville Jaguars defense closes out Cincinnati Bengals
Jacksonville led 22-10 early in the fourth quarter before Cincinnati made the finish competitive. The Jaguars secured the victory with 50 seconds remaining when second-year safety Rayuan Lane III stopped Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown for a 9-yard reception on fourth-and-10 from the Jacksonville 21-yard line. The Bengals entered the game with a 2-2 record.
The Jaguars held Cincinnati to 23 rushing yards and forced two takeaways. Jourdan Lewis intercepted a pass in the second quarter, leading to the game’s first touchdown, while Foyesade Oluokun intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter at the Jacksonville 10-yard line. Jacksonville also recorded two sacks and a season-high 11 quarterback hits against Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow after entering the game with 13 quarterback hits through its first three contests.
“We are going to go into each week and look at it as an imposing defense, and we are going to impose our will,” Jacksonville Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson said Monday. “I feel like if you don’t respect us, then we are going to make you respect us.”
Jaguars manage defensive absences
Jacksonville played without starting cornerback Montaric Brown and reserve cornerback Christian Braswell. Safeties Eric Murray and Caleb Ransaw left the game with injuries; the source identified Murray’s injury as a concussion and Ransaw’s as a knee injury. Lane’s fourth-down stop provided the final defensive play needed to preserve the five-point victory.
Coen said the game largely followed the plan Jacksonville brought into Cincinnati, although he acknowledged the Jaguars could have created more separation. “Really in a lot of ways, the game played out so many ways the way we wanted it to, the way that we went into the game trying to play that game,” Coen said.
“If we score one more touchdown, then we probably would have been a lot more at ease with things,” Coen said. “If maybe one of those doesn’t get called back or we finished in the fourth minute, whatever it is … I think you feel even better about, ‘OK, our plan going in, how we wanted to play the game was in a lot of ways how it did play out.'”
Jacksonville Jaguars prepare for London schedule
The Jaguars will practice in Jacksonville on Wednesday and Thursday before traveling to London. Jacksonville will practice Friday in London ahead of Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. That game will be the first of two consecutive London games for the Jaguars.
Jacksonville will play the Houston Texans the following Sunday at Wembley Stadium. Coen said the travel and altered preparation schedule will require the team to remain organized and physically ready. “It’s a big week of mental toughness: A lot going on with the travel and the preparations,” Coen said.
“Obviously everybody being on the same page and understanding what the schedule is pre going out there: We talked about that today and getting ahead of some of the things regarding Friday in terms of they’re going to be fatigued and tired when we get over there and trust that we’ll take care of you guys and do what’s right by you during the week,” Coen said.
“We’re going to need some mental toughness throughout this week to go out there and make sure we’re physically and mentally prepared to go play this physical game on Sunday against Philly,” Coen said.
FSB Take
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ victory over the Cincinnati Bengals combined defensive pressure, takeaways and a decisive fourth-down stop. Those plays helped Jacksonville protect a 3-1 start despite absences and injuries in the secondary.
The immediate challenge is the two-game London stretch. Jacksonville will face the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before playing the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium the following Sunday.
Source: Original report