The Denver Broncos entered Week 16 expecting to tighten their grip on the AFC’s No. 1 seed, but the Jacksonville Jaguars flipped that script. Jacksonville’s offense, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, tore through Denver’s highly regarded defense to secure a 34-20 statement win. But Lawrence’s push for perfection wasn’t the only narrative, as the team also entered the game fueled by a comment that dismissed them as a ‘small market’ contender.

“It’s never, I wouldn’t say, easy when you play a really good team,” said Trevor Lawrence in a presser after the Week 16 game. “This team [Broncos] has a really good defense, especially. So, we knew we were gonna have our hands full coming in. We had to play well, and we did down the stretch and made some plays. It wasn’t always pretty. We can still clean up some operational things – getting out of the huddle quicker.” 

Trevor Lawrence had called out his locker room earlier after a tough loss to the Seattle Seahawks this season. But his expectations of improvement from the Jaguars now came after they just torched a Broncos defense that had entered the Week 16 game with 58 sacks and just 18.6 points allowed per game. 

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On Sunday night, the Broncos gave up explosive plays on early downs and couldn’t hold firm in the red zone, where Jacksonville scored on four of five trips. The result? The Broncos’ defense gave up a season-high 34 points. Still, Trevor Lawrence explained that the pace of the game created challenges of its own for the Jaguars. 

The Jaguars’ QB noted that it was one of the fastest play clocks he’s experienced, which made pre-snap reads more difficult. So, he emphasized that the Jaguars need to diagnose coverages faster against complex pressure looks. 

“We have to do a better job of just getting up there quicker so we can, you know, diagnose the look and get the right calls and then go play ball and protect ourselves,” Trevor Lawrence added. “Because that’s a team [Broncos] that does some really challenging things on defense. Great pass, rush, some pressure looks that you got to kind of sort through. And we managed it well, but definitely could improve on that.” 

Isn’t it telling that even in a dominant win, Trevor Lawrence was already thinking about how to improve? While playing against the Broncos, he had led the offense with 23 of 36 completed passes for 279 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He also added a rushing touchdown and scrambled six times for a gain of 20 yards. So, this marked his second straight week with 275+ passing yards and 3+ touchdowns.

More importantly, the Jaguars have now won six straight games. Few expected that streak to survive a trip to Denver, let alone end the Broncos’ 11-game winning run. Just days earlier, as they took control of the AFC South, the Jaguars openly discussed the lack of recognition they felt they were receiving.

They didn’t expect that perception to change quickly. Before Week 16, even Broncos head coach Sean Payton overlooked Jacksonville, though he acknowledged their quality on film.

“As you look at them and you watch the tape, it’s a smaller market, but you see a really good team,” Payton said in a presser last week.

Payton’s comment clearly didn’t sit well in Jacksonville’s locker room. So, after Denver’s impressive 11-game winning streak was snapped, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen addressed the remark head-on. 

Liam Coen takes a shot at the Broncos ‘small market’ diss of the Jaguars 

Jacksonville’s win in Week 16 did more than snap Denver’s streak – it further challenged the idea that the Jaguars aren’t legitimate AFC contenders. Coen’s team has also beaten the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and Kansas City Chiefs this season. As such, after the Week 16 game, Liam Coen made it clear that his team had taken notice of the ‘small market’ team narrative and used it as motivation.

“Just thankful that a small-market team like us can come into a place like Mile High and get it done,” Liam Coen said as he opened his postgame press conference.

On Sunday night, the Jaguars capitalized on Denver’s recent defensive cracks to secure a win at Empower Field. The Broncos had won all seven home games this season, and the Jaguars snapped that record, too. Even though the Broncos outgained them 445–346 yards, Jacksonville controlled the game where it mattered most.

Liam Coen’s offense dominated time of possession, holding the ball for more than 33 minutes and limiting Denver’s opportunities. So, Coen made it clear he isn’t concerned with public perception of his team anymore. In fact, it only fuels his team to do better. 

“We don’t care,” Coen added in the post-game presser. “We really don’t care about the narrative. I’m sorry to say that, but it’s only helping us. So I want the narrative to keep coming.”

With the Week 16 victory, Jacksonville improved to 11–4 and turned the AFC’s top-seed race into a crowded battle. But what’s more exciting? The Jaguars have also positioned themselves as a real threat to claim the conference’s No. 1 spot next.