Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson talks to referee Land Clark (130) during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
The Jaguars have been playing better of late. They’ve put up at least 27 points in three of their last four games. Trevor Lawrence was the league’s 32nd-best quarterback in terms of EPA per dropback (-0.010) in September. In the four weeks since, he’s up to fourth (0.213). This is all meaningful progress.
Unfortunately, Pederson’s team is only 2-6 as a result. His defense gave up 350-plus passing yards and three touchdowns to Joe Flacco in the team’s only win over a team that’s .500 or better. The other victory came against the New England Patriots, which looks a little better after Week 8 (Jets, your execution, woof) but still isn’t especially impressive.
Safety Andre Cisco said some players had quit on the team back in Week 6’s London loss to the Bears. While there’s been more effort lately, Jacksonville’s willingness to sell before this year’s trade deadline, as evidenced by the deal that made starting left tackle Cam Robinson a Minnesota Viking, is going to make a turnaround difficult.
Pederson finished above .500 in his first two seasons at the helm and led the Jaguars back from a 31-0 Wild Card deficit in 2022. But he’s 3-11 in his last 14 games and, even with his offense coming to life, struggling to win each week. Jacksonville appeared to have backed into a solid coach when it settled on the former Super Bowl winner late in the 2022 coaching cycle. Instead, Pederson’s tenure in teal and gold looks like it will be over after three seasons.