How Liam Coen Wants to Start Games for Jaguars

Will the Jacksonville Jaguars take the ball first or defer under Head Coach Liam Coen?

Team captains from the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars greet each other on the 50 yard line before the pregame coin toss. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Houston Texans at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida Sunday, December 19, 2021. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union | Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Football is a game of inches. That cliche is a reference to how important each and every single play and yard is in an individual game, a motivator to ensure that players give it their all on each snap. However, it's also a game of momentum.

While every NFL coach preaches patience and short memories to their teams, it's impossible to ignore human psychology.

Going down big early on can end a game well before the clock hits triple zeros. Head Coach Liam Coen will want his Jacksonville Jaguars to start strong and carry that throughout the entire hour in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers.

This upcoming clash will contain a lot of starts for the Jags. It'll have the start of the game, of course, but it'll also mark the start of their 2025 NFL season, the start of their new era, and the start of Liam Coen's head coaching career at the professional level. So, how will Coen want to start the game?

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen talks with quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during the second quarter of an NFL preseason matchup at EverBank Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Liam Coen not sure about coin toss

The coin toss is a much more important facet of NFL games than expected. On the one hand, getting the ball first and scoring on the opening drive can give teams a massive leg up in the contest. On the other hand, fielding the offense to begin the second half can be a huge advantage, allowing a squad to take the lead, build upon one, or cut into a deficit.

Head Coach Liam Coen is still weighing out his options before the Jacksonville Jaguars' season opener against the Carolina Panthers. When Jacksonville media asked if he'll want to receive the ball or defer on the coin toss, he had this to say:

"I haven't decided yet. I was always in the 'defer world' for a long time, and then this past year in Tampa, we kind of got to become a team that took the ball with having success on the first drive, and [see] kind of what it did for our team. The win-loss percentage was something ridiculous when we scored first as an offense in Tampa last year. So, each team's different, each year's different. I'm going to talk about that tomorrow at that game management meeting.”

Cleveland has dominated the coin tosses this year. pic.twitter.com/dy40CUjfdQ

— Polymarket Football (@PolymarketBlitz) December 19, 2024

The fact that Coen has studied the statistics behind the coin toss should be very encouraging for Jaguars fans to see. He's a young coach who knows how analytics can give teams an underdiscussed advantage in several different ways. Having someone willing to turn over every stone to lead his team to a win can only be a positive for Jacksonville.

Follow us on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley to get updates on the Jaguars' first coin toss of the 2025 NFL season.

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