JACKSONVILLE – They persevered because it's what they do.

DaVon Hamilton said if there's a defining characteristic for the Jaguars at what is essentially the midway point of the 2025 regular season, that's it – and it's a characteristic that must define them moving forward.

The '25 Jaguars aren't perfect, but they respond when response is needed.

"We're starting to build resilience," Hamilton said.

Hamilton, a veteran defensive tackle, spoke to the media Monday – a day after his late-game pass defensed secured a road victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. The play moved the Jaguars to 5-3 and was yet another example of this team responding to change, dealing with adversity and continuing to build in Year 1 of a new regime.

"We just found a way," running back Travis Etienne Jr. said.

Etienne called Sunday's post-game feeling "great," adding that more improvement is needed as the Jaguars (5-3) move forward to a road game against the Houston Texans (3-5) Sunday.

"It's always great to get a W," Etienne said, noting that the Jaguars lost to the Raiders on the road, 19-14, in Week 16 last season. "It's just tough winning in the NFL and last year going down there and losing the game, kind of having that feeling … we wanted to get that bad taste out of our mouth.

"Just getting all those bad tastes out of our mouth and being able to finish … we just need one more point than them and that's what we got. Just grateful. We have a lot of things to clean up going forward, but it's better to learn from a win than a loss."

Said Hamilton, "It was another moment for our team to really understand who we are, what we're building here, and I think that was just another moment for us all to come together and bond together."

The Jaguars on Sunday not only came from behind to tie or lead four times in the second half, they did so with multiple players out or dealing with injuries. Rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter, safety Eric Murray and linebacker Devin Lloyd all were on injured reserve or ruled out entering he game, with wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Dyami Brown, guard Ezra Cleveland and cornerback Jourdan Lewis all leaving the game with injuries and unavailable in overtime.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence played through illness against the Raiders, with two players who began the week on the practice squad – wide receivers Tim Jones and Austin Trammell – turning in key plays in the fourth quarter and overtime.

"It says they're true professionals and they're ready for that moment," Etienne said. "Always next man up, you never know when your opportunities are going to come, you've got to be ready for your op.

"We had a bunch of guys ready for their op. It kind of shows you that your hard work never goes unnoticed."

Hamilton, a third-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, turned in one of the Jaguars' biggest and most resilient plays Sunday. One play after the Raiders pulled to within 30-29, Hamilton defensed Raiders quarterback Geno Smith's two-point conversion pass with :16 remaining, securing the victory and ending a two-game losing streak – and pulling to within a game and a half of the Indianapolis Colts (7-2) in the AFC South.

Hamilton a day later described the Jaguars' identity at the midway point of the season, "a resilient, tough team that's willing to do anything to win."

"That's what's going to ultimately build the culture of our team even more and build us as individual units for sure. But as a team as a whole," Hamilton said.

QUOTABLE

• Coen on the Jaguars' 4-1 record in one-score games this season: "You look around the league every week and you see crazy plays that kind of dictate outcomes and wild finishes, and there's part of luck. Luck is a part of this game – and ultimately, the guys just keep sticking with it and finding a way to stay in it and battle. Obviously, some of them are weird and wild and different and can be frustrating, but to come out with a win … I think [kicker] Cam Little might have said it really well: 'Nobody cares at the end of the year. When you look at your record. A win is a win.'"