The Jacksonville Jaguars are in a great position coming down the stretch, and a huge reason for that is the refreshing performance of first-year head coach Liam Coen. Coen's lack of play-calling experience concerned critics of his hire at first, but the 40-year-old has quickly proved his detractors wrong but adjusting to his roster on the fly and winning games in the ugliest way possible.
However, Coen isn't the only leader with a headset who has his team in playoff contention. After starting the season 2-4, DeMeco Ryans led the Houston Texans to a 6-5 record and wins over the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, and Buffalo Bills. Ryans, a defensive coach by trade, also developed his team into the No. 1 defense in the NFL as his 2025 campaign progressed.
Up north, Shane Steichen led his Indianapolis Colts to an 8-2 start and matched the 2024 Colts' win total in only 10 games. Unfortunately (depending on who you root for), Steichen's play-calling has hit a rut as Daniel Jones regresses into his past form. This gives us an opening to look at the coaches in the AFC South from the skybox and identify the best program builder in the division going into Week 13.
What criteria are we working with?
To keep things simple, the most important metric will be team success while the head coach has been in charge. That means AFC South Championships will be at a premium. The coach's ability to develop the side of the ball they're most associated with will be second most important since, at the end of the day, a head coach coaches the entire team.
Finally, the coach's job security or lack there of will be a point of measurement since the hot seat is usually earned after years of poor performance (oh, I'm getting to you, Brian Callahan).
With that in mind, the short version of my AFC South Coaching Rankings are:
- 4th Brian Callahan/Mike McCoy
- 3rd Shane Steichen
- 2nd Liam Coen
- 1st DeMeco Ryans
Why isn't Liam Coen ranked first despite his success with the Jaguars?
Before answering why Coen isn't the best coach in the AFC South (yet), we have to explain why he certainly isn't the worst.
First, Brian Callahan was fired earlier this season after accruing a 4-19 win-loss record during his time in charge. During this period, the former offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals failed to develop Will Levis into a passable starter and impeded Cam Ward's development by forcing the rookie signal caller to learn a system he's continued to struggle in.
The biggest piece of evidence highlighting Callahan's inability to develop talent is the Titans' competitiveness after he was canned. Tennessee's dropped its past three games against the Los Angeles Chargers, Texans, and Seattle Seahawks by a total of 17 points. All three of these teams are competing for playoff spots and, if things go their way this weekend, division championships.
One could say that this means there was actually some talent in the building after all.
Shane Steichen's underachieving tenure with the Colts
Steichen's position as the third-best coach in the division was partially determined by his inability to turn Anthony Richardson into a starter decent enough to capitalize on the phenomenal run game the Colts utilize every week. Daniel Jones opened this season with MVP-caliber performances that made Indy's front office look like it got away with robbery. Now, beat writers covering the team question if his inconsistent play in the middle of the season is a warning sign that the franchise should look elsewhere long-term.
Before Jones and Richardson, Steichen had a chance to win a de facto AFC South Championship Game against CJ Stroud and the Texans at the end of the 2023 season. Stroud, in the biggest game of his rookie season, proved that he was more clutch than Gardner Minshew and led Houston to a 23-19 victory and 10-7 record. Indianapolis would finish 9-8 and just miss the postseason.
Steichen's inability to find and develop a real quarterback has been a stain on his entire tenure. General manager Chris Ballard has tried drafting QBs, signing them in free agency, and kicking the tires on reclamation projects who could still have some gas left in the tank. Neither approach has worked with Steichen in charge of Indy's offensive scheme.
Liam Coen's promising start with the Jaguars
Liam Coen hasn't won an AFC South Championship yet and hasn't clinched his first appearance in the NFL postseason. However, he's overcome an immense amount of adversity while leading his squad to victory more often than not.
In his rookie season as the man in charge, Coen has seen his defense's pass rush and ability to force turnovers regress, his offense's running game disappear for stretches at a time, his QB throw him into poor situations before throwing them back into victory formation, and his general manager take risks that didn't make the Jaguars' roster that much better in the end.
However, Coen's also overseen the best run defense in the league, Travis Etienne's resurgence as a feature back, a primetime win against the Kansas City Chiefs at home, and a dominant home win against the Chargers that finally proved Jacksonville could play a phenomenal 60 minutes of football as well.
With two games against the Titans and a home game against the 2-9 New York Jets to look forward to, there is a realistic future where Coen finishes his first season with double-digit wins. Accomplishing this while working with the same players who were around during the Jaguars' collapses in 2023 and 2024 would be a monumental feat.
DeMeco Ryans, the standard bearer of the division (for now)
DeMeco Ryans' performance as the 49ers' defensive coordinator before becoming the Texans' gave him the skills and pedigree needed to rehab the team's struggling defense. What his critics weren't prepared for was his ability to fast-track CJ Stroud's development into becoming a star quarterback.
The Texans' 2023 and 2024 division titles largely came from Stroud's ability to win and properly manage the games he started. The former second-overall pick significantly regressed this season, but Ryans didn't let that end his team's season prematurely. Throughout the former Buckeye's struggles behind center, Ryans kept crafting an elite defense that can rush the passer, cover any wideout, and carry the team until the offense finds its footing.
Unfortunately, Houston's offense may have found its groove while Davis Mills filled in for Stroud while the latter was in concussion protocol. Mills has been a complete pro about his role on the team despite members of the media labeling the Texans' situation a QB controversy. However, Ryans could have a serious problem on his hands if Stroud's quality of play doesn't improve while Texans navigate a razor thin margin of error in the AFC playoff race.
Until Liam Coen wins a few division titles and a couple of playoff games, Ryans will have the lead over him. Luckily for Jaguars fans, Coen's first season looks like he'll catch up to the former Texans linebacker's coaching resume sooner rather than later.