Jacksonville’s season ended the hard way with hope in one hand and heartbreak in the other.
The Jaguars’ surprising run came to a stop Sunday night after a 27–24 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round. Duval had the game in its grip late, holding a slim lead with under two minutes left, but Josh Allen did what elite quarterbacks do. He marched Buffalo down the field and capped it with a touchdown that flipped the script with just 1:04 on the clock.
Ballgame, season over…
For a team that wasn’t supposed to be here and a first-year head coach still earning his league stripes, the loss clearly hit and hard. Liam Coen stood at the podium afterward carrying thatt heavy weight.
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That’s when something unexpected happened.
Instead of firing off another football question, longtime Jaguars reporter Lynn Jones used his moment to pour into Coen, delivering a message that cut through the disappointment and spoke directly to the soul of the season.
“I just want to tell you congratulations on your success, young man,” said the reporter. “You hold your head up, alright? You guys have had a most magnificent season. You did a great job out there today, so you just hold your head up, okay? And ladies and gentlemen – Duval, you the one. Alright? Keep it going, we got another season, okay? Take care, and much continued success to you and the entire team.”
“You hold your head up, alright?”
A reporter had words of encouragement for Liam Coen following the Jags’ playoff loss 🫂❤️
(via @Jaguars)
pic.twitter.com/8J0GGZ57Xs— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 11, 2026
The room definitely shifted after that.
What could’ve been just another somber postseason press conference turned into a reminder of how far this franchise has come. Coen didn’t just coach wins this year, he helped restore belief.
Jacksonville wasn’t supposed to be playing meaningful football in January, but here they were, a few plays away from knocking off a Super Bowl contender. And the city noticed.
While the scoreboard didn’t favor Jacksonville on Sunday, but the message was clear: this season mattered. And under Liam Coen, the Jaguars look like a team that’s only getting started.
Duval knows it. The league’s about to find out.