Before the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Liam Coen as the head coach in 2025, they lacked an identity. He's quickly changed that, turning them into a physical, gritty team. Their brand of football was on full display in the dominant Week 1 win over the Cleveland Browns.
The Jags set the tone from the get-go, with linebacker Foyesade Oluokun picking off Deshaun Watson. They didn't take their foot off the gas pedal and went on to win 34-10.
While Jacksonville needs to clean up a few areas (execution, penalties), Coen was pleased with the team's physicality, and nastiness was on full display in all three phases of the game.
Liam Coen was hyped up to see the Jaguars play physical and nasty vs. the Browns
Liam Coen met with the local media after the win over Cleveland. He said the Jags played a nasty brand of football, noting that they were physical in all three phases of the game.
"I think there's a lot of good things that we can point to from this game in terms of being more physical. We play at our best as a team here in Jacksonville, and we're playing grimy, physical, nasty, and we're flying around with relentless pursuit. And that's in all three phases," Coen told reporters (2:21 mark). "That's setting the tone up front on the offensive line and playing nasty and getting after it. Our backs, I thought, did a great job after contact today."
Coen continued, "I think we tackled pretty well, fairly well. I thought we got after the quarterback. And look, when you have a group of guys that are hungry, wanting to get a bad taste out of their mouth with the first time them playing a game since Buffalo, yeah, you're trying to elevate the standard every single week."
During the exchange, Coen also stated that the win will help Jacksonville build its identity, noting that he's seen progress dating back to Week 1 of the preseason.
"I think there was some good things to continue to build on. I definitely felt like when you go back, as I did this week and watch Carolina Week 1, kind of versus what we were able to come out here and do in terms of putting it away and making it our brand of football and not playing somebody else's game, playing our game."
The Jacksonville run defense held the Browns' running game under 100 yards, while the pass rush relentlessly brought the heat on Deshaun Watson. Sure, he scored a touchdown, but it came late in the game when the outcome was already decided.
On the other hand, Cleveland had no answer for Trevor Lawrence and the Jags' high-octane offense. The special teams, for their part, gave up a big return but otherwise did their part.
Related: 5 biggest winners (and 2 losers) from the win vs. the Browns
The Jaguars set the tone for the rest of the season in Week 1
Week 1 is always tricky because teams are barely beginning to hit their stride. That said, nobody should overlook the Jaguars. After all, they're not a surprise team that struggled the year prior. They finished 2025 strong and wasted no time picking up where they left off.
And that's the thing, the Jags showed a physical brand of football dating back to last year. They spent the offseason making tweaks to the coaching staff and the roster to ensure they turn their physicality up a notch. The result was evident in their win over the Browns.
The Jaguars are going to face tougher opponents the rest of the way, but they showed in Week 1 that they'll be ready to take on them.
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