Liam Coen and the Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t just walk into Mile High and pull off a statement win - they made sure everyone knew about it afterward, too.
Coming off a week where Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton praised the Jaguars in a way that raised a few eyebrows - calling them a “real good team” from a “smaller market” - Jacksonville clearly took the comment to heart. Whether Payton meant it as a slight or not, the Jaguars used it as fuel. And after their 34-20 win in Denver, Coen didn’t miss the opportunity to fire back with a little postgame spice of his own.
“Great team effort,” Coen said after the game. “Just thankful that a small market team like us can come into a place like Mile High and get it done.”
That’s not just a mic drop - that’s a locker room rallying cry that turned into a scoreboard reality.
Jacksonville came into this game with something to prove, and they played like it. From the opening whistle to the final kneel-down, they looked like the more prepared, more physical, and more focused team. The Jaguars weren’t just reacting to a perceived jab - they were responding with sharp execution on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, Jacksonville found rhythm early and often. They kept the Broncos’ defense off balance with a mix of tempo, play-action, and timely third-down conversions. Defensively, they made life difficult for Denver’s offense, forcing key turnovers and winning situational football - the kind of things that swing games in December.
And while Jacksonville celebrated a signature road win, Denver was left to regroup.
“A disappointing loss,” Payton said after the game, not shying away from accountability. “All the things that are important to winning, we didn’t do a good enough job with - and that starts with me.”
He wasn’t wrong. The Broncos lost the turnover battle, struggled on third downs, and came up short in the kicking game.
Those are three pillars of winning football, and Denver came up empty across the board. For a team that had been rolling, this was a gut-check moment.
But context matters. Despite the loss, Denver still sits at 12-3 - not exactly a crisis point. With two games left in the regular season, the Broncos remain in position to clinch the AFC West and even secure the No. 1 seed in the conference if they take care of business.
Still, this one stings. Not just because of the score, but because of the message that came with it.
Jacksonville didn’t just beat Denver - they outplayed them, outcoached them, and outtalked them. And in a league where bulletin board material still matters, the Jaguars showed they’re not just listening - they’re responding.
Coen and company may be from a “small market,” but they played with big-time swagger. And on Sunday, that was more than enough to silence the Mile High crowd.