The Lions delivered the Jaguars their worst loss in franchise history on Sunday, a 52-6 beatdown in which Detroit scored touchdowns over its first seven drives while Jacksonville managed only two field goals in 60 minutes.
Find everything Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the game below.
On what Pederson said to the Jaguars in the locker room after the loss:
DOUG PEDERSON: “It’s difficult to find words because everybody is so disappointed, frustrated, angry. It’s the emotion of how much you put into the week and then playing like we did, so it’s just frustrating. Our break, obviously, comes at a right time. Our guys need some time away, they need to refresh, recharge. Coaches, players, but we do need to take, I think, the first part of the week and really reflect and go back and study as coaches to see what’s been good and what hasn’t been good. So, that’s the great opportunity that we have. Six games left and it’ll be exciting because most of those, I think four of the six, are division games and still an opportunity there.”
On if Pederson thinks the Jaguars defense is fatigued:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I feel like it’s been a long season, 11 games, two weeks in London obviously, and travel and whatnot. I did and I do, and I think the guys need a break. But I’m sure if you ask them, they probably feel tired. They feel drained a little bit and they need to refresh and get ready to go.”
On if Pederson thinks this is his last game coaching the Jaguars:
DOUG PEDERSON: “You know what, I can’t control that and you know – listen, I’ve been around this League a long time and if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen obviously, but at the same time, I still have a job to do and that’s to get ready for a good division opponent here in two weeks.”
On if Pederson anticipates the coaching staff changing over the bye week:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I don’t know yet. Something I have to think about and it’s just – it’s hard. It’s hard to put it all on, I think, one person. I think coaches have to look at themselves, we have to look – I have to start there, look at myself and obviously the staff and what are we doing, how are we preparing our players, and then same way with the players, right? They have to look at themselves and be critical of themselves and then make the changes, make the corrections that we need to get better. So, I’ll process a few things and – but I’m glad that we have the bye right now though.”
On how formidable the Lions’ offense was:
DOUG PEDERSON: “It’s a good team, yeah, they’re rolling. They’re playing well. [Lions QB] Jared [Goff]’s playing really good and it’s – you can see how this teams really come together, all three phases are playing well. So, credit what [Lions Head] Coach [Dan] Campbell’s been doing and really getting these guys to buy in and play well.”
On Pederson’s expectations for the rest of the season:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I mean there’s always that possibility, but I don’t think so, not with this group. I think this group will continue to respond and do the things necessary to prepare for a football game. I don’t – I’ve never sensed that with this group and don’t anticipate that.”
On whether Pederson feels the Lions took the heart out of the Jaguars or if the defense was just fatigued:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I think it’s the latter, honestly. I think the fact that we’ve been on the field way too long defensively the last four weeks and that’s a combination of offense has to do their part which hasn’t been able to do. Stay on the field and score points and we haven’t been able to do that and that’s what we have to look at there too. But I think there is some of that fatigue there of playing a lot of snaps in these last couple of weeks.”
On Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence having a good chance to play coming off of the bye week:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I mean we’ll see. We’ll see how he does during the week of this bye and see where he’s at. I’m not going to commit right now obviously. We still have a ways away, but we’ll see. We’ll see how he does this week, and we have time, so we’ll figure that out.”
On if the first two weeks of the Jaguars’ season set the tone for the rest of the season:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, I think I look at that and I have looked at that and I have thought about that and sometimes it’s interesting how a play or two here or there can kind of change the course of a season. That’s so early in the season though that you still have time to fix it. So, it’s hard to maybe say it was just that, but some of the mistakes still being made just have to be fixed, have to be corrected. But again, it’s not a lack of effort or physicality or nothing like that. We just need – this team needs a break.”
On what the Lions defense did to keep the Jaguars’ offense out of the end zone:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Nothing, they just played their scheme. They just played their defense, it’s a good defense. They played fast today, and they did a nice job, and we got in that high red area, they did a nice job of just holding us to three there a couple of times. But they just played their deal.”