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Jaguars DE Has Strong Message for Any Potential Bandwagon Fans After Latest Win

Belief in Jacksonville is growing.

Kyle Koster

Travon Walker had some surprising comments after latest Jaguars' win.
Travon Walker had some surprising comments after latest Jaguars' win. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been closely monitoring the wires for any signs of disrespect as they quietly play themselves into the discussion of legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Liam Coen's surprising squad notched their sixth consecutive victory by going into Denver and pushing the Broncos around in a 34-20 win. The best defense on the field on Sunday belonged to the Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence is finally looking like the quarterback the organization hoped he would be and Travis Etienne has provided incredible balance out of the backfield.

Jacksonville wakes on on Monday with an 11-4 record and dates with Philip Rivers's Indianapolis Colts and the cellar-dwelling Titans remaining. They also have the tiebreaker over the Broncos and New England Patriots should those two ballclubs falter down the stretch, so the AFC's No. 1 seed is still very much a possibility.

The morning shows are actually talking Jaguars and more people believe in them than they did 24 hours ago and the entire franchise knows it.

Following their latest win, all the elements are in place for a rush to the bandwagon.

But if you're thinking of joining, don't. Jacksonville defensive end Travon Walker has made it known that you are not welcome.

"Everybody's probably going to hop on this bandwagon now," he said after the latest victory. "We don't want anybody, they can stay where they're at. It's us. It's all about the Jags. F--- everybody but us. Excuse my language, mom, dad and grandma. But f--- everybody but us."

Give Walker credit for being committed to the mindset. But most people interpret "jumping on the bandwagon" as a positive thing. Fans see a body of work, grow to appreciate it and root for the team to continuing building on the budding success. If the rallying cry is that you don't get any respect, the only way to keep it going is by dismissing the respect. These are the head games that must be played throughout an NFL season.

The tough thing for Walker is that finishing 13-4 is only going to cause more people to hop aboard the train, welcome or not.

Good problem to have?

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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