It was a compliment. At least, sandwiched as one.<\/p>\n
It became the rallying cry of the Broncos\u2019 downfall Sunday night.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, amid a long song of praises toward the now-11-4 Jacksonville Jaguars, Broncos head coach Sean Payton dropped a small nugget that the Jaguars spun into fuel on their trip to Denver.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you look at \u2019em and you watch the tape \u2014 it\u2019s a smaller market, but you see a real good team.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Sunday, after soundly outplaying the Broncos in all three phases of the game in a 34-20 Jaguars win, first-year Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen threw a not-so-subtle jab at Payton in the opening minutes of his press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat team effort,\u201d Coen said. \u201cJust thankful that a small-market team like us can come into a place like Mile High and get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
All season, Coen and the Jaguars \u2014 who finished just 4-13 in 2024 \u2014 have thrown themselves behind the underdog narrative, a team continually overlooked and written off by much of the national conversation. The franchise\u2019s social-media team stitched together a video compilation of dismissive takes before traveling to Denver on Sunday<\/a>, a bold move that wound up paying dividends.<\/p>\n The Jaguars as a whole, not just Coen, were quite clearly aware of Payton\u2019s comment. Jacksonville tight end Brenton Strange, who finished with five catches for 39 yards and a touchdown, was captured in a postgame Jaguars video offering his own rebuttal.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a small-market team, man,\u201d Strange grinned, tugging off his jersey as he walked off the Broncos\u2019 home turf.<\/p>\n