A huge turnaround in Week 14 for the AFC South. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Indianapolis Colts 36-19 to improve to 9-4 and take control of the division with just a few weeks left in the regular season.
However, despite the victory, the postgame focus wasn’t on the Jaguars. Instead, it’s on Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, whose resurgence has the Colts looking like a Super Bowl contender. Jones suffered an Achilles injury in the loss and could miss the rest of the season.
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After the game, multiple members of the Jaguars organization must have been aware of this storyline, as they, along with head coach Liam Cohen, took the opportunity to point out the lack of respect they felt for their team’s performance this season.
According to ESPN , running back Travis Etienne rushed for 74 yards and scored twice in the victory, and he made it abundantly clear after the game.
“At the end of the day, I feel like no one likes us but us. It’s just consistent with being in this organization and the way this organization has been for a while. We’re not going to get their respect. We don’t even care.”
He’s not the only member of the team to make this point. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence said the Jaguars “don’t get the credit they deserve.” He concluded his statement by saying, “No one really cares about the Jaguars, and that’s fine.”
Lawrence was outstanding in the win, passing for 244 yards and two touchdowns.
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If it sounds like this could be a rallying point for the Jaguars this season, that may be intentional. Cohen didn’t exactly downplay the claims after his win. In fact, he did the exact opposite, he blended in, according to ESPN.
“I don’t know if we can actually get [respect],” he said. “That’s the beauty of it. It’s not coming. You know. It’s not. That’s the beauty of it. That’s totally fine. “
Respect — or a perceived lack of respect — is a common dynamic in sports. Coaches who want their teams to stay hungry and motivated often point to this as a way to get their players excited. Many times, it doesn’t matter even if it’s true. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady continued to believe that no one believed in them during many years of the New England Patriots’ dynasty.
However, the Jaguars may have a point. Even after Sunday’s game, the Colts still dominate the AFC South headlines. That could change due to Jones’ injury, but attention is already turning to the Houston Texans after Sunday night’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
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The Jaguars seem content to play the underdog role right now. It’s hard to blame them. Under Cohen, the team has quietly surged to first place and is in third place with just four games remaining in the AFC Champions League.
That’s quite a turnaround for a team that went 4-13 last year.
