JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars won the AFC South, in part, because first-year head coach Liam Coen and his staff got several guys to play well above expectations.
Developing talent? Unleashing potential? Pushing the right buttons? Coen prefers to call it growth, which rarely has been witnessed to this extent over the last two-plus decades in Jacksonville.
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Jacksonville Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) celebrates a defensive stop during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks to throw a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington (11) celebrates his touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Regardless of the wording, it’s considered a key to Jacksonville (13-4) winning the franchise’s most games since 1999 and earning its third home playoff game over the past 26 seasons.
The Jaguars, the AFC’s No. 3 seed, will host sixth-seeded Buffalo (12-5) and Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen on Sunday. And the Jags hope to continue getting significant contributions from players who were on the verge of being written off in Jacksonville:
— Trevor Lawrence. The fifth-year quarterback is playing as well as anyone in the league. He has 24 total touchdowns during Jacksonville’s eight-game winning streak, including 19 passing and five rushing, and is making a strong case for comeback player of the year after his 2024 season ended with shoulder surgery and a frightening concussion caused by an illegal hit.
— Devin Lloyd. The fourth-year linebacker is tied for second in the NFL with six takeaways, including a career-high five interceptions that includes a 99-yard TD, and will be in high demand in free agency.
— Antonio Johnson. The third-year safety also has five interceptions, including one he returned 58 yards for a score in a 41-7 rout against Tennessee on Sunday. Three others came on final drives against the New York Jets, Indianapolis and Houston.
— Parker Washington. The third-year receiver has more catches (58), yards (847) and touchdowns (7) this season than he had in his first two years combined. He has become one of Lawrence’s most trusted targets.
Throw in left tackle Cole Van Lanen, cornerback Jarrian Jones, tight end Quintin Morris and defensive tackle Matt Dickerson — guys who were either on the bench (Van Lanen and Jones), on the practice squad (Morris) or even on the street (Dickerson) at some point this season — and Coen deserves credit for finding them more prominent roles.
Those are the kind of deft moves that should earn Coen coach of the year consideration around the league.
“It’s not always perfect, but it’s been a fun progression,” Lawrence said. “He’s a helluva coach, and I’m glad he’s here in Jacksonville and very thankful for him.”
The Jaguars ended up leading the league in run defense for the first time in franchise history. They allowed 85.6 yards a game and became the third team since 2000 to not allow a 75-yard rusher in a single game. Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor came the closest, running for 74 and 70 yards in two meetings.
Jacksonville’s ground attack slowed to a crawl against Tennessee. The Jags finished with 64 yards rushing, their second fewest of the season. They failed to top 125 yards in their last six games, a potential concern heading into the playoffs.
A shuffled offensive line has been part of the issue, but Coen suggested the need for staying on blocks longer and finding holes that are there.
Cam Little has a big leg and probably should have been the AFC’s Pro Bowl kicker. He drilled a 67-yarder to end the first half against Tennessee, giving him the longest outdoor field goal in NFL history. He made a 68-yarder indoors against Las Vegas in early November for the NFL record. He also hit a 70-yarder against Pittsburgh in the preseason.
Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead needed 1 1/2 sacks in the finale to earn a $1 million bonus for reaching seven this season. But he played only 24 snaps and had a tackle in the blowout. Armstead doesn’t have a sack since mid-November and continues to deal with a hand injury.
Van Lanen injured his right knee late in the game and was having more tests. The Jaguars expect RG Patrick Mekari (back) to return this week after a two-week absence.
4-1 — The team’s record in home playoff games, with the loss coming against Tennessee in the 1999 AFC championship game. The Jaguars are 2-0 since, with wins against Buffalo (2017) and the Los Angeles Chargers (2022).
The Jaguars need to find ways to run more effectively, especially in the playoffs. They are averaging 91.2 yards a game on the ground over their last six.
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Jacksonville Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) celebrates a defensive stop during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks to throw a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington (11) celebrates his touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom won final approval from a key agency on Thursday, despite a federal judge recently ordering a halt to construction unless Congress allows what would be the biggest structural change to the American landmark in more than 70 years.
The 12-member National Capital Planning Commission, the agency tasked with approving construction on federal property in the Washington region, went ahead with the vote because U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s ruling — which came two days earlier — affects construction activities but not the planning process, said the commission's Trump-appointed chair, Will Scharf.
A vote of 8-1, with two commissioners voting present and one absent, allowed the plan to move forward.
Despite the agency’s approval, however, the judge’s ruling and a legal fight over the ballroom could stall progress on a legacy project that Trump is racing to see completed before the end of his term in early 2029. It’s among a series of changes the Republican president is planning for the nation’s capital to leave his lasting imprint while he’s still in office.
Before the vote, Scharf, a top White House aide, noted that Leon's order has been stayed for two weeks as the administration seeks an appeal. He said, as he understood the decision, it “really does not impact our action here today.”
Reading from notes, Scharf also delivered an impassioned defense of the project that reviewed the full history of the White House — including changes and additions that were criticized at the time they were made but have become beloved with the passage of time. He spoke about the addition of the north and south porticos and the balcony added by President Harry Truman.
Scharf suggested that Trump’s proposed ballroom will similarly come to be viewed as a wise addition — despite drawing contemporary opposition from some members of the public and government officials.
“I believe that, in time, this ballroom will be considered every bit of a national treasure as the other key components of the White House,” Scharf said.
Scharf also said the proposed ballroom has been viewed negatively because of opposition to Trump, instead of the merits, saying, “I feel that we’ve been unfairly slighted in the press and otherwise for the way we’ve gone about reviewing this particular project.”
The vote by the commission, which includes three members Trump gets to appoint, had initially been scheduled for March but was postponed to Thursday because so many people signed up to comment at the commission’s meeting last month. The comments were overwhelmingly opposed to the ballroom.
The lone “no” vote was cast by Phil Mendelson, a Democrat who chairs the Council of the District of Columbia. Linda Argo and Arrington Dixon, the two commissioners appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, voted present.
Mendelson criticized the design of the ballroom addition and how fast it was approved.
“It’s just too large,” he said.
Criticism also came from Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. One of its attorneys, Jon Golinger, said the commission had discounted opposition from city officials and thousands of people who commented against the project, and ignored the judge's ruling. Several commissioners, including Scharf, had said they took the public feedback seriously.
“This approval is illegitimate and this vote is a joke," Golinger said.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle, commended the “decision to approve President Trump’s historic vision to build a much need ballroom at the White House.”
“We look forward to seeing the completion of this project on time and under budget," Ingle said in a statement.
Before voting, the commission considered some design changes to the 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom addition that the president announced aboard Air Force One on Sunday, as he flew back to Washington from a weekend at his Florida home.
He removed a large staircase on the south side of the building and added an uncovered porch to the west side. Architects and other critics of the project had panned the staircase as too large and basically useless since there was no way to enter the ballroom at the top.
A White House official said the president had considered comments from the National Capital Planning Commission and another oversight entity, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which approved the project earlier this year, as well as members of the public.
The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the ballroom design and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that additional “refinements” had been made to the building’s exterior.
The ballroom, now estimated to cost $400 million, has expanded in scope and price tag since Trump first announced the project last summer, citing a need for space other than a tent on the lawn to host important guests. Trump demolished the East Wing in October with little warning, and site preparation and underground work have been underway since then.
Two other Trump-appointed commissioners, Stuart Levenbach and James Blair, voted for the project.
Levenbach, who serves as vice chairman and is the federal government’s chief statistician, said the White House is currently “not suited” to accommodate large numbers of guests and that the addition will improve the “utility” of the compound.
He said tunnels and other structures underground at the White House made it impossible to place many features of the ballroom there, too, as some have suggested might be possible. Levenbach said the addition is a “multipurpose facility,” noting that, in addition to a ballroom, it will also have offices for the first lady, kitchen space and a theater.
“This is not an expansion for its own sake,” Levenbach said.
Blair, a deputy to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, said visitors and guests of the president deserve a “better experience."
Scharf and Blair also said Trump will get “very limited use” of the ballroom before his term ends.
Trump went ahead with the project before seeking input from the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, which he reconstituted with allies and supporters.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private nonprofit organization, sued after Trump demolished the East Wing last fall to build the ballroom addition — a space nearly twice as big as the mansion itself.
Trump says it will be paid for with donations from wealthy people and corporations, including him, though public dollars are paying for underground bunkers and security upgrades.
The trust sought a temporary halt to construction until Trump presented the project to both commissions and Congress for approval. Leon agreed but said that his order would take effect in two weeks and that construction related to security would be allowed.
President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
President Donald Trump holds a rendering of the proposed new East Wing of the White House as he speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
President Donald Trump holds a rendering of the proposed new East Wing of the White House as he speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
