Despite a dominant winning streak and elite defensive play, the Jaguars find themselves overlooked. Their focus remains on the field, not external validation.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the best teams in the NFL, and yet, maybe they don't have the respect they deserve just yet.
Coach Liam Coen said in his postgame press conference after Sunday's 34-20 win in Denver that he's embracing the doubters.
Defensive lineman Travon Walker was a little more animated in his reaction to outside noise.
In any case, there seems to be evidence that Jacksonville's six-game winning streak hasn't won everybody over.
Case in point, the fact that Jacksonville is 11-4 and only has one Pro Bowler-- and it's the longsnapper.
It's not that Ross Matiscik doesn't have a name and doesn't deserve respect. With that said, it's fair to ask why there aren't more Jaguars in the Pro Bowl.
One of the people curious as to why Jacksonville didn't get more love is NFL.com's Kevin Patra.
"I'll pick out two defenders who were snubbed for Pro Bowl consideration, Josh Hines-Allen, and Devin Lloyd," Patra wrote. "Hines-Allen has been a best off the edge and doesn't garner nearly enough attention. JHA ranks fourth in the NFL in QB pressures (71) and fifth in quick pressures (27). The edge rusher wins despite little surrounding help -- is the only other Jaguar player with more than 26 total pressures."
"Lloyd has enjoyed his best season, making plays at every level. The fourth-year pro has been excellent in coverage, generating five interceptions, tied for second-most in the league, with one returned for a 99-yard score. He's made 70 tackles in 13 games."
Days before losing to the Jags, Broncos coach Sean Payton referred to Jacksonville as a "small-market team," and that's the way much of the world sees them.
Coen is just fine with that.
"We don't care, you know, we really don't care," Coen told reporters after the game Sunday. "You know, we really don't care about the narrative. You know, it's, I'm sorry to say that, but it's only helping us. So I want the narrative to keep coming."
For Walker, people who weren't on board with Jacksonville before this winning streak shouldn't bother hopping on now.
"We don't want them. Everyone in this locker room on the Juguars team, even upstairs, we know everybody's probably going to try to hop on this bandwagon now, but we don't want anybody," Walker said after the game via ESPN's Michael DiRocco. "They can stay where they're at. It's us. It's all about the Jags. "(Expletive) everybody but us. Excuse my language, Dad, Grandmamma, but (expletive) everybody but us."
Jacksonville has a chance to clinch the NFC South this weekend with a win (at Indianapolis) and a Houston Texans loss (at Los Angeles Chargers).