JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen doesn’t want any outside respect.
He prefers the underdog role, avoiding the “rat poison” and being able to find ways to get his guys “a little bit (ticked) off.”
It’s worked to perfection over the last month. Capped by a 36-19 victory over Indianapolis on Sunday, the Jaguars (9-4) have won four in a row and five of six to take control of the AFC South. They might be in better shape without the biggest collapse in franchise history, a 36-29 debacle at Houston last month in which Jacksonville led by 19 in the fourth quarter.
But Coen believes that gut-wrenching loss to the Texans “was good for us.” It could end up being the turning point for a team that’s found an identity on both sides of the ball and keeps building confidence and stacking victories.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever really get (respect),” Coen said. “That’s the beauty of it. It ain’t coming. You know that. It’s not. And that’s the beauty of it. And that’s totally fine.”
Small-market Jacksonville, which has reached double-digit wins just once in the last 18 seasons, has a chance to get No. 10 when it hosts the New York Jets (3-10) on Sunday. The Jaguars opened as 12 ½-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. It’s the first time since 2007 they’ve been such a heavy favorite.
But players and coaches would rather it be the other way around.
“We all feel like we’re a really good team and probably don’t get the credit we deserve,” quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “Everybody talks about every other team. Even in our own division, it’s all these other teams that are going to go win the division and do all these things and nobody really cares about the Jags, which is fine.
“It’s kind of just how it is, and we’ll use it as a chip on our shoulder and keep playing. It doesn’t really matter.”
It’s what Coen wants. Around the facility last week were TVs showing division standings with headlines and quotes talking about the Colts and Texans. Missing: anything positive about the Jaguars, who are now alone atop the AFC South.
“I feel like no one likes us except for us,” running back Travis Etienne said. “I feel like it just goes along with being in this organization, what the organization has been for quite some time. We’re not going to get the respect. We kind of don’t even care. … No one’s going to paint us to be the person to win it all. We’ve got to go out and take it. I love that. Coach Coen plays into that and gives us that edge. He’s a great motivator.”
Lawrence connected on three passes longer than 30 yards against the Colts, including two to Brian Thomas Jr. It was the result of weeks getting Lawrence to trust reads and receivers who have struggled with drops.
“Attack every blade of grass is something that ultimately we want to be able to do,” Coen said. “A huge part of this game is being able to stretch people vertically."
There’s little doubt that penalties and dropped passes are the team’s biggest weaknesses — and have been all season. The Jaguars were flagged eight times for 64 yards against the Colts and dropped two more passes. Jacksonville leads the league with 112 penalties.
Linebacker Devin Lloyd recorded his AFC-leading fifth interception. He picked off Daniel Jones’ first pass of the game, giving the Jaguars a short field and setting the tone. Lloyd finished with eight tackles and two quarterback hits. He has six total takeaways this season, including a fumble recovery.
Rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten fumbled twice in nine snaps against the Colts. He lost the ball on a first-quarter kickoff return — teammate B.J. Green recovered — and was evaluated for a concussion and cleared to return. He then lost a fumble on his second play back and didn’t play another down on offense.
WR Parker Washington (hip), S Andrew Wingard (concussion) and LT Walker Little (concussion) were inactive against Indy but could return this week against the Jets. The Jaguars had two defensive linemen — Travon Walker and Arik Armstead — playing with padded clubs on their left hands.
6 — number of times Jacksonville has won 10 or more games in a regular season. The Jaguars can make it seven against the Jets.
Although the Jaguars won’t start looking at playoff scenarios anytime soon, they could.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) makes a catch over Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II (23) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) celebrates as he leaves the field following an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
LONDON (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met British, French and German leaders in London on Monday in a show of European support for Ukraine at what they called a “critical moment” in the U.S.-led effort to end Russia's war in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer held talks with Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the British leader’s 10 Downing St. residence to try to strengthen Ukraine’s hand amid mounting impatience from U.S. President Donald Trump.
After the meeting, Starmer, Zelenskyy and the other leaders called Kyiv's European allies, urging them to keep up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The leaders all agreed that now is a critical moment and that we must continue to ramp up support to Ukraine and economic pressure on Putin to bring an end to this barbaric war,” Starmer's office said in a statement.
“This is the furthest we’ve got in four years, and we welcome the fact that these talks are continuing at every level,” said Starmer's spokesman, Tom Wells. He added that “intensive work” will continue in the days ahead, although “there are still outstanding issues.”
Macron’s office said the session allowed the leaders “to continue joint work on the U.S. plan in order to complement it with European contributions, in close coordination with Ukraine.”
Answering reporters' questions in a call later Monday via WhatsApp, Zelenskyy said the current U.S. peace plan differs from earlier versions in that it now has 20 points, down from 28, after what he called some “obvious anti-Ukrainian points were removed.”
On security guarantees, Zelenskyy said the main questions to be resolved are: "What if after the end of the war, Russia will start another aggression? What will the partners be ready for? What could Ukraine count on?”
The answers to these questions "must be in the core of the security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said.
In an exchange with reporters on Sunday night, Trump appeared frustrated with Zelenskyy, claiming the Ukrainian leader “hasn’t yet read the proposal.”
Zelenskyy said Monday that Trump “certainly wants to end the war. ... Surely, he has his own vision. We live here, from within we see details and nuances, we perceive everything much deeper, because this is our motherland.”
Starmer, Macron and Merz took a more supportive stance toward Kyiv in comments before their Monday meeting, which lasted about two hours. The U.K. leader said the push for peace was at a “critical stage,” and stressed the need for "a just and lasting ceasefire.”
Merz, meanwhile, said he was “skeptical” about some details in documents released by the U.S. “We have to talk about it. That’s why we are here,” he said. “The coming days … could be a decisive time for all of us."
European leaders are working to ensure that any ceasefire is backed by solid security guarantees both from Europe and the U.S. to deter Russia from attacking again. Trump has not given explicit guarantees in public.
Zelenskyy said late Sunday that his talks with European leaders this week in London and Brussels will focus on security, air defense and long-term funding for Ukraine’s war effort. He said Monday that Ukraine needs support from both Europe and the U.S.
“There are some things we can’t manage without the Americans, things which we can’t manage without Europe, and that’s why we need to make some important decisions,” he said at Downing Street.
Starmer's office said the leaders instructed their national security advisers to continue discussions in the coming days, underscoring “the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which includes robust security guarantees.”
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators completed three days of talks on Saturday aimed at trying to narrow differences on the U.S. administration’s peace proposal.
Zelenskyy said on Telegram that talks had been “substantive” and that National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov were traveling back to Europe to brief him.
A major sticking point in the plan is the suggestion that Kyiv must cede control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine to Russia, which illegally occupies most but not all of the territory. Ukraine and its European allies have balked at the idea of handing over land.
Starmer said he “won’t be putting pressure” on Zelenskyy to accept a peace settlement.
Trump has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Zelenskyy since winning a second term, insisting the war was a waste of U.S. taxpayers’ money. Trump has also repeatedly urged the Ukrainians to cede land to Russia to end the nearly four-year conflict.
The European talks follow the publication of a new U.S. national security strategy that alarmed European leaders and was welcomed by Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the document, which spells out the administration’s core foreign policy interests, was largely in line with Moscow’s vision.
“The nuances that we see in the new concept certainly look appealing to us,” he said Monday. “It mentions the need for dialogue and building constructive, friendly relations. This cannot but appeal to us, and it absolutely corresponds to our vision. We understand that by eliminating the irritants that currently exist in bilateral relations, a prospect may open for us to truly restore our relations and bring them out of the rather deep crisis.”
The document released Friday by the White House said the U.S. wants to improve its relationship with Russia after years of Moscow being treated as a global pariah and that ending the war is a core U.S. interest to “reestablish strategic stability with Russia.”
The document also says NATO must not be “a perpetually expanding alliance,” echoing another complaint by Russia. It was scathing about the migration and free speech policies of longstanding U.S. allies in Europe, suggesting they face the “prospect of civilizational erasure” due to migration.
Starmer’s government declined comment on the document, calling it a matter for the U.S. government.
Russia continued attacking Ukraine amid the diplomatic efforts. Its drones struck high-rise apartments in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Okhtyrka overnight, injuring seven people and extensively damaging the building, according to the head of the regional administration, Oleh Hryhorov.
In the northern city of Chernihiv, a Russian drone exploded outside a residential building, injuring three people and damaging a kindergarten, gas lines and cars, regional head Viacheslav Chaus said.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 149 drones overnight, with 131 neutralized and 16 others striking their targets.
Meanwhile, Russian air defenses destroyed 67 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. The drones were shot down over 11 Russian regions, it said.
Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron, talk on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street, London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, following a meeting of the leaders inside. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pose on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street, London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, following a meeting of the leaders inside. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron at 10 Downing Street, in London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street, London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, Larry the cat, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office walks past. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
From left, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron meet at 10 Downing Street, in London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP)
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gestures while speaking as he takes part in a joint news conference with the Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin in Dublin, Ireland, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
FILE - French President Emmanuel Macron, right, welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Dec. 1, 2025 before a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, a rescue worker puts out a fire of a residential building damaged by a Russian strike in Sumy region, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, a rescue worker puts out a fire of a car in front of a residential building damaged by a Russian strike in Sumy region, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
