JACKSONVILLE – The next weeks matter. A lot.
Yes, the Jaguars are eliminated from the postseason, which makes the coming weeks mostly about pride and professionalism. Evan Engram said while these things are true, that doesn't mean players have given up on the 2024 regular season.
"I haven't seen one guy tap [out],'' Engram said.
Engram, an eighth-year veteran and team leader, joined senior writer John Oehser for this 2024 Week 14 O-Zone Podcast. He discussed multiple topics, including how the Jaguars will approach the final five weeks of the season after being eliminated playoff contention this past week.
"Everybody's committed to figuring this out," Engram said. "It's just a reminder of how tough this league is, how tough it is to win in this league, how tough it is to pursue a championship in this league. It's tough to make the playoffs, to win the division. It's really hard.
"It's one thing to create those goals. It's different to do it week in and week out. It's a great lesson for all of us."
The Jaguars (2-10) will play the Tennessee Titans (3-9) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. Engram said he expects a motivated Jaguars team after five consecutive losses, including a 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans at EverBank Stadium this past Sunday.
"I can say that because I've seen the other side," Engram said. "I've seen people hitting that fast-forward button. Not here. We came into this season putting in a lot of work. We have the right mindset no matter the circumstance to finish the job together."
Engram also addressed the Jaguars’ response this past Sunday when Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair knocked quarterback Trevor Lawrence from the game with a forearm to the helmet. Engram was the first player to confront Al-Shaair, knocking him to the turf before players from both teams began fighting for several minutes.
"I really have nothing to say about anybody else's comments," Engram said. "It's part of the brotherhood we create here. I'm not saying the dude's a dirty player. It was a bad play on his part, a questionable play. When you see something like that, there's a retaliation. It's in the code. It's a family. It's a brotherhood. I know how hard he works. It was an unfortunate sequence of events.
"I appreciated guys sticking up for our guy. Everything that ensued is tough to watch. But I think we handled it the right way."
To listen to the entire O-Zone Podcast with Engram, click HERE.
