Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said he was “at a loss” following Jacksonville’s 18-13, home-opening loss to Cleveland Sunday, disheartened by the club’s performance not only this week but dating back to last season.
Jacksonville is 1-7 since Week 13 of the 2023 campaign, with Trevor Lawrence’s last win as the club’s starting quarterback coming on Nov. 26 of last year. Lawrence was injured and unavailable for the Jaguars’ lone victory in that stretch, over Carolina in Week 17.
After winning 18 of his first 30 games with Jacksonville and, paired with Lawrence, leading the team to an AFC Divisional Round appearance in his first year on the job, Pederson appeared perplexed answering questions about the Jaguars’ downward trajectory in his post-game press conference Sunday, and confirmed that he was.
“I’m at a loss because we’ve been together for a while now, right? We shouldn’t be playing the way we’re playing,” Pederson said.
“We shouldn’t be coaching the way we’re coaching. I take accountability there. It starts with me. Then it goes to the assistant coaches and players. I just know that we’re a better football team than what we played today.”
Find everything Pederson said in his post-game press conference below.
On what Pederson attributes Jacksonville’s redzone struggles to:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Comes down to awareness, comes down to just execution on the field, comes down to coaching. There’s a lot of things I think we can maybe point a finger at. But it’s definitely an area that needs to improve.”
On Jacksonville using two timeouts to avoid delay of games near the end of the first half:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Just the situation. The situational awareness. The clock was running down. It can’t happen. It just can’t happen. So, had to take the two timeouts.”
On what happened when quarterback Trevor Lawrence was sacked for a safety:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, we knew what we had to do. We had to go 98 yards obviously. We had a chance to push the ball down the field at that time. It just felt like the pocket collapsed a little bit on his left side. Just nowhere to go with the ball. We’ve just got to clean that stuff up.”
On what Pederson meant by saying “the nonsense has to stop” during a halftime interview:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Just execution.”
On if Jacksonville’s offensive line is good enough to execute the way it needs to:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I feel they are, yes.”
On how Pederson explains the Jaguars’ performance in the first half:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, that’s something we need to look into and find out why. We have an opportunity to play a football game. We’re blessed to coach and play. You should be excited about stepping on the field and giving everything you have. It’s a tough sport. It’s something I’ve got to try to figure out with the guys and see what’s going on.”
On how stunned Pederson is with Jacksonville’s lack of execution on offense over the last six quarters:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, I mean, it’s not who we are. Guys, coaches, players work too hard during the week. Listen, that’s a good defense. A really good defense. Probably one of the best in the league. If there’s a measuring stick, then we didn’t measure up very well today. Something we’ve got to look at. There’s too much talent, I think. There’s signs of it, but just not consistent enough.”
On what changed that allowed the Jaguars’ offense to start getting things going in the fourth quarter:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I don’t know. I guess we went a little up-tempo. I think just the tempo really. Just executed with our backs against the wall. “
On if Pederson got an explanation from the officials on roughing the passer calls that were made and a potential no-call:
DOUG PEDERSON: “No.”
On why Jacksonville is struggling to execute on third down:
DOUG PEDERSON: “We’ve definitely got to look at the film and see why. Third down is an important down. We know they’ve got some great pass-rushers over there. We just didn’t do our part. Maybe it’s on us as coaches, we didn’t help our guys out enough. We’ve just got to look at the tape and figure out why.”
On what happened to tight end Evan Engram pregame and how much of a loss that was:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, it was unfortunate. It was during his warm-up prior to pregame. It was right at the time when we put our inactives in. We didn’t have an opportunity to make a change. It’s no different if he goes down play one. We still have to go out and play.”
On if Pederson is at a loss in figuring out why the team is performing at the level it is:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Well, I’m at a loss because we’ve been together for a while now, right? We shouldn’t be playing the way we’re playing. We shouldn’t be coaching the way we’re coaching. I take accountability there. It starts with me. Then it goes to the assistant coaches and players. I just know that we’re a better football team than what we played today.”
On if Pederson has to avoid hitting the panic button early:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I don’t think you hit the panic button. There’s a long season ahead. We’ve got to figure some things out in a hurry. We’ve got to coach some things and do some things. Each person has to look at themselves in the mirror, me included. We’ve got to do better. It’s disappointing. It’s disappointing because there’s glimpses of greatness out there, but it’s not consistent enough.”
On how rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has adjusted through two games:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I think he’s done a nice job. Made a couple big plays the last two games. Has helped us score some points. It’s good to see him coming along and doing the things that we’ve asked of him. You just see his ability to make plays down the field.”
On Pederson’s frustration with losing timeouts in the first half:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, it’s tough.”