Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Liam Coen accepted direct blame for a series of costly delay of game penalties during Sunday’s 19-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in London, pointing to a loud crowd and long play calls as the main culprits.
Jaguars Overcome Operational Errors in London
A fourth-quarter drive reached the Eagles’ 1-yard line with under nine minutes remaining, but the offense stalled after burning a timeout, drawing a false start, and sandwiching a pair of delay of game penalties around an incompletion. The Jaguars secured an unlikely 19-17 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but offensive operation issues nearly cost them the game.
According to ESPN research, Jacksonville had not committed more than one delay of game penalty in a game during Coen’s three-season tenure, totaling just four over that span. Against Philadelphia, however, the team was flagged three times for running out the clock—once in the first quarter and twice during that critical fourth-quarter sequence.
Coen Takes Responsibility for Play Clock Issues
Addressing the team during a Monday film session, Coen showed players clips of the huddle breaking with only eight seconds remaining on the play clock. He told the offense that the breakdowns fell squarely on his coaching, according to reporting from The Associated Press.
That’s not giving you guys the best chance to go succeed.
Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator
The coach attributed the communication friction to the environment inside the stadium, which was dominated by pro-Eagles fans.
“That was probably one of the louder atmospheres I’ve been in a while,” Coen said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. “Especially in those critical moments to where, ‘Hey guys, I can help you out with my playcall.’ Maybe shorten it up, trim the verbiage or call something a little bit more simplified down there where it was in that end zone specifically that got loud and some of those critical downs.”
Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator
Players React to Accountability From Coaching Staff
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence voiced support for his coordinator’s willingness to accept the blame, noting that it encouraged the rest of the roster to examine their own execution.
“Obviously it was cool to see him take ownership and point out some things where maybe he could get a call in sooner or whatever it was,” Lawrence said. “But I think as players, it also makes you reflect on the plays yourself and say, ‘this is what I need to do better.’ And I think it having a coach that does that makes it easier for the players to all take your own ownership of what you need to fix.”
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback
Lawrence noted that an ideal offensive rhythm involves breaking the huddle with roughly 20 seconds remaining on the play clock to allow time to read the defense, though he acknowledged that various factors often make that target difficult to achieve in practice.
Discipline Becomes a Priority for Upcoming Matchup
Fantasy Nerds highlighted that discipline remains an urgent focus for the coaching staff after Jacksonville committed 13 penalties against Philadelphia, mirroring a 13-penalty outing the week prior against the Cincinnati Bengals. ProFootballTalk noted that while the Jaguars managed to win both games, the recurring mistakes threaten to derail them if the operation is not cleaned up.
The Jaguars stayed in England following Sunday’s win and are scheduled to face the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium.