JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jaguars owner Shad Khan has experienced a lot of losing since buying the Jacksonville franchise in 2012.
On Sunday, he watched the team take a major step in its remarkable turnaround.
The Jaguars beat the Texans, 45-7, in front of the home fans at EverBank Field. The win clinched the Jaguars' first playoff berth since 2007.
The sold out crowd erupted with a chant of "Playoffs! Playoffs!" during the fourth quarter of the game. It was a far cry from the half-empty, frustrated fourth-quarter audiences of the past few years.
"It’s been awesome," Khan said about the attendance after the game.
"We’ve had standing room only tickets today, which certainly hasn’t happened in the almost six years I’ve been here, so it’s wonderful. The energy in this stadium, you can’t replace that, and that’s why we need the fans.”
The team was 17-63 under Khan's ownership entering this season.
In January, Khan made the move to bring back former head coach Tom Coughlin as the team's vice president of football operations. From there, Coughlin and general manager Dave Caldwell hired Doug Marrone as the team's head coach.
The leadership trio and a host of successful offseason moves have paved the way for the Jaguars' return to the postseason.
"It’s unbelievable," Khan said.
"To win it and win it the way we did today, mind-blowing. Really, really grateful, obviously, and proud of the players, the football leadership and the fans. Especially, the last two games, have given us the energy, put it over the top. It’s been awesome.”
At 10-4, the Jaguars are in control of their own destiny. The Jaguars hold the lead in the AFC South division race. Jacksonville also has an outside shot of earning a first-round bye.
It's a remarkable turnaround for a team that won just 11 games during the previous three seasons combined. Khan understands the gravity of the newfound success.
"Well, I had been through life when I was a laughingstock in whatever business I was in, auto parts or what have you," Khan said.
"You have to stay in it and success comes. It’s a story of perseverance.”
Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter at @Mike_E_Kaye.