There was no shortage of motivation for the Jacksonville Jaguars when they traveled to Nashville in Week 14. In addition to fighting to keep their postseason hopes alive, the Jaguars were playing a division rival in the Tennessee Titans.
Last week, coach Doug Pederson showed his team a reel of trash talk through the years from Titans players who didn’t respect the Jaguars. So how does he plan on keeping the Jaguars motivated in Week 15 when they’re playing the Dallas Cowboys, a team that hasn’t played a game in Jacksonville in 16 years?
That’s pretty simple, he says.
“We’re playing for our lives. We’re playing to stay alive,” Pederson said Friday. “If you don’t get up for these games against good opponents, might need to think about doing something else. As coaches and players, these are great games to coach in, great games to play in, and I really don’t think it’s going to take a whole lot to keep the energy up in this one.”
With four games left in the regular season, the Jaguars are two games behind the Titans for the AFC South lead. Make up one game over the next three weeks and the Jaguars will almost definitely be playing the Titans for the division crown in Week 18.
The problem for the Jaguars is that they’ll play the Cowboys and New York Jets — teams that are 10-3 and 7-6, respectively — over an upcoming five-day span. Losing both would likely guarantee the season is over for Jacksonville.
The Jaguars have risen to the occasion twice in the last three weeks to beat the Titans and Baltimore Ravens. But between those wins, the team fell flat in a 40-14 blowout loss against the Detroit Lions. The Jaguars don’t have much margin for error and can’t afford to have a similar lackluster performance Sunday.