What Liam Coen Had to Say About Jaguars' Playoff Heartbreak vs. Bills

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars took a tough one on the chin on Sunday.

The Jaguars had one of the best seasons in franchise history after a 13-4 regular season and an AFC South title, but a 27-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round meant the end of the year for Liam Coen's squad.

Watch Coen Discuss Below

Coen didn't mince words on the tough loss or how it happened. The Jaguars took the lead with four minutes remaining -- their second lead of the fourth quarter -- but allowed the Bills to drive the length of the field for the game-winning touchdown with a minute remaining.

"Yeah, just a tough way to end the season, obviously. We score to go ahead, couldn't really get them off the grass there on the last drive, (they) converted, obviously, a few of those. We get hit on a little bit of a busted coverage there, and then the quarterback sneak that goes down to the 1-yard line is tough because you're still trying to hold them," Coen said.

Jan 11, 2026; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen during the second half against the Buffalo Bills in an AFC Wild Card Round game at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"They need a touchdown, so with where they were at, it's not like we were about to ‘freeway’ it. We're competing to try to stop them, make them kick a field goal, but once you get it down to the 1-yard line, we decided to freeway it, let them score and try to get the ball back, and then we do, and ended up throwing an interception. It was just a tough ending."

It was a brutal way for the season to end considering the Jaguars had genuine Super Bowl hopes. The Jaguars were one or two bad bounces away from being the No. 1 seed in the entire AFC, let alone a No. 3 seed and the AFC South winner.

Jan 11, 2026; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Buffalo Bills at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

But the Bills simply made one more play than the Jaguars did. As a result, Coen and the Jaguars enter the offseason with a focus on what they have built and where they can go from here.

I hope that we've established a standard of competing at a high level, of mental and physical toughness, of putting the team first, and that we're going to make every decision as an organization that puts the team and ‘the grass’ first because that's what matters. That's what it's all about, trying to put your players in a position to be successful, both on the field and in the building as much as possible. The details matter. Continuing to try to set those new standards and keep moving forward.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, center left, greets Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott after the game of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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