With the schedule the Jacksonville Jaguars have played so far, heading into the bye week 4-2 is something the team should be proud of. 

Over their first six games, the Jaguars squared off against a surprising 4-2 Cleveland Browns squad, last year’s top seed in the AFC playoffs, the Denver Broncos, the defending conference champions, the New England Patriots, a greatly improved Cincinnati Bengals team, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Houston Texans, the team picked by many to overtake Jacksonville in the AFC South. 

Aside from the Browns, all five of the Jaguars’ opponents thus far began the season with a realistic goal of reaching the Super Bowl. 

Reaching the end of that gauntlet 4-2 is a terrific accomplishment, especially considering that only two of the six contests were played in Jacksonville. The showdowns against the Eagles and Texans were back-to-back Jaguars “home” games played in London. 

If someone had told head coach Liam Coen before the season that his team would be 4-2 and hold a two-game division lead heading into the Week 7 bye after playing those teams, he probably would have taken it without hesitation. 

However, the Jaguars' 34-31 loss to the Texans on Sunday sends them into their well-deserved bye week on a sour note. 

Had they won, the Jaguars would be four games up on Houston. The Texans’ victory cut Jacksonville’s advantage to two games while also exposing flaws in the Jaguars that weren’t noticeable only two weeks ago. 

Both the pass rush and pass defense are floundering, and the Jaguars have committed 32 penalties over their last three games. 

Even though they are 4-2 and in great shape, there is clearly a lot to work on over the bye. 

Coen spoke to the media and shared the message he gave the team heading into the players’ much-deserved week off. 

"Made Of The Right Stuff"

The Jaguars haven’t done a lot of losing during Coen’s tenure, winning 17 of his 23 games as head coach. They haven’t lost two straight since Weeks 6 and 7 last season. 

Coen believes his team is "made of the right stuff," and expressed his confidence to the players that they will respond to their latest loss. 

"To be six weeks in and to feel confident that your team is going to respond, that we're made of the right stuff to respond. We have so much football left that you're excited about getting things corrected."

Final Thoughts

Coen's players have earned his confidence, especially in their ability to respond after a loss.

The last time the Jaguars lost, in Week 2 at Denver, they followed it up with a 35-6 annihilation of the Patriots the very next game.

Jacksonville has several things that need to be cleaned up before the players step back onto the field against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8, but Coen has proven he knows exactly which buttons to push to ensure the proper corrections are made.

The Jaguars have already gotten through the toughest part of their schedule. With an extra week to work on their issues, it would be a surprise if they didn't return from the bye as an even better team.