JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars on Friday practiced at the Miller Electric Center.
The AFC South Champion Jaguars (13-4) will play the wild-card Buffalo Bills (12-5) at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday in a 2025 AFC Wild Card Playoff game. A look at Friday around the Jaguars – with Head Coach Liam Coen speaking to the media for the final time before Sunday:
The Jaguars on Friday issued the third of three injury reports for the week, with starting left tackle Cole Van Lanen listed as questionable for Sunday.
Van Lanen practiced limited Friday after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday with a knee injury sustained in a Week 18 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Starting right guard Patrick Mekari, who practiced limited Friday for a third consecutive day after missing the last two games with a back injury, was listed without status meaning he is expected to be available Sunday.
Four-year veteran Walker Little, who started the last two games for Mekari at right guard, started the first 12 games of the season at left tackle.
"We wouldn't be in the position we are at without Walker Little," Coen said. "He has been able to play multiple positions for us, be flexible with that rotation, be able to step in, play right guard for us, play it at a pretty good click for us for a few games, never having really played it before – then have to potentially slide back over to left at times. That's just the way it goes.
"That's something that you appreciate in an offensive lineman. You appreciate the selflessness, you appreciate the team-first mentality typically of offensive linemen because their No. 1 job is to protect: to protect the back, to protect the quarterback and to protect this team and this organization.
"When you have a selfless group that has a team-first mentality like Walker does and like the rest of that group does, it typically helps you succeed."
Four other Jaguars players were listed without status Friday: Starting nickel corner Jarrian Jones (illness), starting cornerback Greg Newsome II (shoulder), starting cornerback Montaric Brown (shoulder) and rookie defensive end Danny Striggow (ankle/elbow).
Jones missed practice Wednesday with the illness.
"I'm a big film watcher," Jones said. "I watch countless hours of film. [Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile] and the staff did a great job of sending me the meetings so I could watch the meetings and do everything from home.
"When I went out to practice today, everything clicked. Everything was what it was."
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Little to nothing changed, and that was the idea.
That was how Coen described the Jaguars' practice week when speaking to the media Friday – as a week like any other week during the team's eight-game winning streak entering the 2025 postseason.
"Same as it has been for the last 10 weeks or so," Coen said.
Coen on Friday echoed the sentiments of players as the Jaguars prepared for their first postseason game in three years – that the idea is to go 1-0 and treat Sunday as it it's the most important game in franchise history because it's the next game.
"It has been good," Coen said. "Guys have been on it. Good concentration, details in practice and walk through good stuff to coach off of."
The Jaguars held what they call their "Fast Friday" practice Friday, focusing on red-zone situations, with a normal "walkthrough" practice Saturday.
"They understand what's at stake without having to go and say, 'Oh, this could be our last practice, this could be our last walkthrough,'" Coen said. "You don't put yourself there at all. I have not put myself there at all personally. You just keep trying to do what you've been doing to the best of your ability and then let the results be what they may and go play your asses off on Sunday for 60 minutes and see what the heck happens.
"The way that you have to stay so singularly focused on your job, your execution, your responsibilities, your details, the game plan, knowing your opponent to the best of your ability and then go play … because you let anything else get into your mind, it just starts to cloud it and you start to think about things that really don't matter."
