HC Liam Coen Makes Curious Broncos-Jaguars Comparison

Are the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars as similar as head coach Liam Coen says?

Oct 19, 2025; London, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen talks with quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been playing well of late, but Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton will expect his relentless pass rush to prevail in Week 16's AFC matchup. 

A plethora of advantageous factors contribute to how the Broncos' pass rush wears teams down late in games. Look no further than last Sunday's performance against the Green Bay Packers for evidence that Denver's pass rush will eventually come through and get home.

Against a 10-win Jaguars opponent, the Broncos will look to exploit all their advantages, including the home field. The Broncos' undefeated home record has been key to their 12-win season thus far.

On the flip side, the Jaguars' impressive first-year head coach, Liam Coen, is aware of the huge threat the likes of Nik Bonitto will present on Sunday.  

"They've got personnel that can go," Coen said via Garry Smits of Jacksonville's Florida Times-Union. "I've used some of their clips in some of my team meetings this year, of showing some darn good rushes against some of the teams that we've played. So, you know, I think it's probably a combination of those things, without getting too much into the weeds and knowing what they're up to, but I do know that they've got good scheme and good players." 

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Parallels

Dec 14, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with quarterback Bo Nix (10) during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Coen's Jaguars might be leading the AFC South right now, but the Houston Texans are only one game back, and they've quickly morphed into one of the hottest teams in the league. Staying in front of DeMeco Ryans' hard-charging Texans outfit hinges on how well the Jags can hold up in pass pro against Bonitto and the Broncos.

Against the hemorrhaging New York Jets last Sunday, Lawrence was turnover-free and didn't take a sack, but the Broncos' fierce rush and the element of crowd noise will up the ante considerably this week. Recently, Coen has been receiving increasing buzz as an NFL Coach of the Year candidate, and his body of work speaks for itself.

Coen could improve those chances on Sunday if he can get past Payton, but the respect levels the Jags 'coach has for his counterpart in Denver are so high that even his team is somewhat of a mirror image. 

"There's a lot of similarities in some ways," Coen said via Smits. "Being explosive, a quarterback can run, throw it down the field and their defense is at a really high level. Good, solid special teams. And I've always had a lot of respect for [Denver coach] Sean Payton." 

Once Coen gets a chance to review the Broncos' most recent game tape, he might hope Lawrence has the added mobility needed to finally snap Denver's 11-game winning streak. That said, nobody within the Broncos will be sleeping on their far bigger goals, especially rush linebacker Jonathon Cooper. 

"We still got things. We have to clean it up. We still want to play our best ball when we get to the playoffs," Cooper said after beating the Packers. "So it's important for us to go back in the film, see what we can get better at."

The Broncos' tried and true defensive formula isn't likely to change much vs. Coen's Jaguars. But if Vance Joseph's defense can shore up some of the leaks that have persisted since Week 13, it'll be bad news for Coen and Lawrence.