JACKSONVILLE – Much has been done, and much remains to be done.

If there's a theme around the Jaguars this week, with Christmas approaching and a playoff spot clinched, it's that:

The postseason is big, but the Jaguars' goals are bigger.

"It's more so just trying to compete like champions every week," Head Coach Liam Coen said as the AFC South-leading Jaguars (11-4) prepared to play the Indianapolis Colts (8-7) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Sunday.

Coen spoke Wednesday, two days after the Jaguars clinched their first postseason appearance since 2022. His theme was common around the Miller Electric Center – that while the season has been successful and enjoyable, it's far from over.

"The mission stays the same," Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. said, adding of clinching a playoff spot, "Nobody even said anything about it today."

"We're still take it game by game, day by day, trying to be the best we can be day in and day out," Thomas said.

The Jaguars, winners of six consecutive games and seven of the last eight, can clinch their third AFC South title in nine seasons with a victory Sunday if the second-place Houston Texans (10-5) lose to the Los Angeles Chargers (11-4) in Los Angeles Saturday.

"It's what we play for," Thomas said. "We have to go out there and complete the mission. We have to go out there and do what we're capable of doing. We have to compete each and every game. We have to execute and still give it all our all, take it game by game, day by day."

Defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said this remains a team focused on showing what is perhaps a disbelieving football world that the Jaguars are contenders.

"As I told you a couple of weeks ago, we're going to keep playing until they say we suck and we're in the Super Bowl," Hines-Allen said. "I'm cool with that. I think everybody in this locker room and everybody in this building is cool with that.

"It's the culture of what we're trying to build here. It starts at the top. You look at Liam. You look at [General Manager] James [Gladstone]. You look at [Executive Vice President of Football Operations] Tony [Boselli]. It starts with them.

"As a culture, as players, as a locker room, we embody that disrespected tone. We like it. We look forward to it. I'm not saying we enjoy it, but it is what it is."

The Jaguars also remain in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, which they can attain with victories in their final two regular-season games if the Denver Broncos (12-3) and New England Patriots (12-3) both lose one of their final two games.

The Jaguars were last the No. 1 seed in 1999.

"It's more we haven't talked about those kind of goals, and [are going] throughout the process and see what happens," Coen said. "I'm sure people are excited to know that there is more football ahead of us, but we're really trying to just stick within this day and be where we're at, be where our feet are, and go compete against a good Colts team this week."

Coen also called this Jaguars team, his first, "a fun group to be around."

"I'm proud of this team," he said. "I'm proud of how we're trying to do things for sure and the guys make it really fun, so that's the fun part about being a coach or a teacher is when you see the people that you're working with improve that's fulfilling for sure."

The Jaguars will close the regular season against the Tennessee Titans (3-12) at EverBank Stadium, with that game against their longtime AFC South rival figuring to factor heavily into the Jaguars' postseason situation.

NOTABLE

• Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, while accelerating rapidly as a passer in recent weeks, has been effective as a runner during that span – rushing 18 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns in the last four games. He has rushed for touchdowns each of the last two weeks and has a career-high seven rushing touchdowns this season. He has rushed for 322 yards this season on 72 carries and is on pace for a career-high rushing yards. "When you're able to get out and extend, that makes you so much more dangerous as a quarterback," Coen said. "So much about playing this position is feel, is living in the gray and that's such a thing for quarterbacks when they're playing with that free mind and just going out and competing. That's backyard. That's playing football. That's winning football. That's harder to defend than when the quarterback's always in time and in rhythm. You know the ball's coming out in this time period and you're able to make them defend more and longer."