The Jacksonville Jaguars’ preseason opener against the Steelers wasn’t about the final score. For a team adjusting to a new era under Liam Coen, this was their first real test. A chance to see how Trevor Lawrence looked in live action after offseason surgery. And whether the pieces around him were starting to click. The results were mixed. While Lawrence moved well and shook off his first hit since December, the Jaguars’ overall performance left room for improvement. Coen, never one to sugarcoat things, made that much clear afterward.
But beyond the typical preseason growing pains, two moments stood out. One from Lawrence that showed his progress, and another from Coen that revealed his expectations. Together, they painted a picture of where this team stands. The most telling moment of Trevor Lawrence’s night didn’t come on his 6-of-7 passing drive or during the Jaguars’ methodical 44-yard field goal march. It happened when Steelers defenders finally brought him to the turf—the first real hit he’d absorbed since the December surgery. When asked postgame about that long-awaited collision, Lawrence’s response revealed more than any stat sheet could.
“Yeah, that’s like… like I said at first, you know, for me just getting back out there where you can get that,” Lawrence said. “You don’t have a red jersey on and feeling the pass rush kind of settling in there.” His words carried the weight of a QB who’d spent months rehabbing, now rediscovering the rhythm of live football. The controlled chaos of his scramble up the middle, where he took that symbolic hit, showed a player testing his limits. “Guys did a great job up front… But yeah, it feels good to. That’s that’s real game stuff, you know, getting hit and not having the red jersey on.”
Syndication: Florida Times-Union Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence 16 walks on the sideline during the fourth quarter of an NFL, American Football Herren, USA football matchup Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Vikings defeated the Jaguars 12-7. Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union Jacksonville , EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xCoreyxPerrine/FloridaxTimes-Unionx USATSI_24751900
Lawrence’s brief but sharp performance (6 completions to 5 different targets) proved he’s settling into Liam Coen’s system. The offensive line bought him time, and his quick progressions, like finding Evan Engram on a key fourth-down conversion, suggest growing comfort. But it was that unscripted moment of contact that truly marked his return.
Yet while Trevor Lawrence’s physical milestone offered encouragement, another postgame moment cut through the preseason noise. One where Coen’s carefully measured tone gave way to raw, unfiltered truth.
Liam Coen demands more from the Jaguars
While Cam Little‘s record-shattering 70-yard field goal provided the night’s most electrifying moment, a kick so pure the ball boy caught it mid-air, Liam Coen’s post-game tone cut through the celebration like cold water. The Jaguars‘ 31-25 loss to Pittsburgh exposed cracks that no last-second heroics could mask. And their new HC refused to look away.
“Ultimately, it’s something that takes no talent to do,” Coen said at the post-game conference. “We cannot start to beat people until we stop beating ourselves.” His words landed like a hammer, referencing the penalties and mental errors that undermined Jacksonville’s flashes of promise. “This is something we’ve been preaching since we arrived… So yeah, frustrating for sure.”
“We cannot start to beat people until we stop beating ourselves.”#PITvsJAX pic.twitter.com/fuQino5O67
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) August 10, 2025
The contrast between Little’s history-making kick (which would’ve broken Justin Tucker‘s regular-season record by four yards) and Coen’s blunt assessment framed Jacksonville’s reality. Rookie Travis Hunter‘s airborne chest-bump with Little after the 70-yarder showed this team’s explosive potential. But the final scoreboard, where Pittsburgh‘s 31 points outpaced even Little’s unprecedented contribution, revealed the consistency Coen demands.
Little’s leg, which already boasts a 59-yard NFL make from his rookie season, proved ready for primetime. His immediate fist-pump as the 70-yarder cleared the crossbar by several yards showed the confidence of a specialist in peak form. Coen’s challenge now is ensuring the rest of his roster matches that precision. Because as the coach made painfully clear, no single highlight, not even one that defied NFL physics, can offset the self-inflicted wounds that truly decide games. For a franchise learning new systems, the preseason’s purpose isn’t to win flashy moments. But to eliminate the mistakes that made Saturday’s final score possible.
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