Tag: Jacksonville Jaguars

Everything Doug Pederson said after Jaguars’ 32-25 loss to Jets

Everything Doug Pederson said after Jaguars’ 32-25 loss to Jets

Find everything Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after Jacksonville’s 32-25 loss to the New York Jets in Week 15 below.

On Jets WR Davante Adams second half performance:

DOUG PEDERSON: “He’s a great receiver. I mean, Aaron [Rodgers] is a great quarterback. He’s a Hall of Fame quarterback. So they made plays that we didn’t make, and that part’s unfortunate. I thought we did some good things. But, again, it comes down to just a couple plays that your season or your game or whatever could be a little bit different. But give credit, I mean, those are two good players.”

On Jaguars QB Mac Jones performance:

DOUG PEDERSON: “I thought Mac played good. He played well. I thought the offensive line protected well today again, did some good things. B.T. [Brian Thomas Jr.] had a heck of a game. I just think we’ve got to keep learning and keep growing as a team and keep working. Mac gets more comfortable with the things we’re doing and what he likes. He played tough. He played physical, some scrambles in there, so it was a good performance, good performance.”

On the late interception by Mac Jones at the end of the game:

DOUG PEDERSON: “I think he just sailed the ball too high. Look, he’s trying to make a play, obviously. I have to take a look at the film and make a determination on the route. It was a double move route combination, so catching them in their two-high shell defense and felt like it was just a little overthrown.”

On if the Jaguars let the Jets score at the 1-yard-line in the fourth quarter:

DOUG PEDERSON: “Yes.”

On if Pederson was surprised the Jets didn’t take a knee there and force the Jaguars to use their timeouts:

DOUG PEDERSON: “It’s a different philosophy, but obviously, yeah, you can score the touchdown. You kind of in those situations, you want them to score so you can save time for our offense. Or, you know, the other way is you knee it a couple times and make me burn the two timeouts. It’s either way. Either way. “

On how nice it was to see Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. and TE Brenton Strange perform well:

DOUG PEDERSON: “I couldn’t be more happy for both those guys. This is a great opportunity for Brenton, and he really rose to the occasion. You talk about a great, humble kid that plays tough, plays physical, the type of player that we know that he is. And, of course, B.T., you just see a top receiver in this league. He’s a good, young receiver that’s going to continue to get better. And as we get Trevor [Lawrence] back and all that kind of stuff, it’s a good combination to build around.”

On if Pederson views Brian Thomas Jr. as a bright spot in the Jaguars’ season:

DOUG PEDERSON: “I think so. Heck, he’s had a heck of a season for a rookie receiver, and not only here in Jacksonville, but in the NFL. Like I said, I think there’s more, as he continues to grow and learn. He can get better. But I’ll tell you this. Gosh, he’s a good, humble kid that does work hard. And he has been a very, very big, bright spot for our offense all season.”

On Pederson’s expectations of Brian Thomas Jr. coming out of training camp and if he thought he might deliver a 1,000-yard rookie season:

DOUG PEDERSON: “Some [rookies] do. And obviously we had high expectations coming out of camp with him. Obviously Christian [Kirk], Gabe [Davis], Evan [Engram], we had some pieces that we continued to run our offense out of, and really find a niche for Brian and really see what he’s capable of doing. But as the season progressed, you can see that he can handle more information. He can handle more responsibility. And each week we keep finding ways to load him up and he answers. That’s what you want from your top receiver. Like I said, he’s just been such a bright spot. He’s been a workhorse offensively. There’s a lot of people we depend on and count on, but for a young player, he’s someone that you can dial the ball up and chances are he’s going to find a completion. Just been thoroughly impressed with Brian as the season’s gone on.”

On what there is to like about Brenton Strange as a route runner and pass catcher: 

DOUG PEDERSON: “I think he’s bigger, he’s physical. Obviously he runs — he probably runs better than people think. Really good, disciplined route runner. Plus he’s learning from Evan [Engram] too. He’s got a good mentor there to learn from. Again, it’s what Brenton does during the week and how he attacks the week and what he works on. He continues to work on his weaknesses, which enhances his strengths. Again, he’s been a bright spot for us, a good, young player, and excited for him.”

Thomas, Adams combine for four TDs in Jaguars’ 32-25 loss to Jets

Thomas, Adams combine for four TDs in Jaguars’ 32-25 loss to Jets

A record-setting performance by Jaguars rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was overshadowed by one of the best showings of Jets wide receiver Davante Adams’ career on Sunday.

Despite Thomas establishing new Jaguars rookie receiving records for yards and touchdowns in the first quarter and building upon those marks throughout the contest, a nine-reception, 198-yard, two-touchdown second half by Adams lifted New York (4-10) to a 32-25 victory over Jacksonville (3-11) in Week 15.

Thomas finished with 105 yards and two touchdowns over 10 receptions, the latter two stats being single-game bests for Jacksonville’s rookie sensation. He now has 64 catches for 956 yards and eight touchdowns on the year.

But after being held without a catch in the first half, Adams exploded by hauling in all but one of his 10 second-half targets, with at least two grabs on each of the Jets’ scoring drives.

Among those catches were a one-yard touchdown reception that gave New York its first lead of the game, 17-16 in the third quarter, and a 71-yard score to make it 25-22 in the fourth quarter. Adams also converted a two-point try after his second touchdown.

Adams’ 198 yards were the second-most he has recorded in a game in his 11-season NFL career.

A fourth-quarter, 43-yard field goal by Jacksonville rookie kicker Cam Little created a 25-25 tie with 1:56 left in regulation.

It was more than enough time for Adams, New York quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Jets’ offense to march down the field and retake the lead. The quarterback-receiver tandem connected twice for 64 yards over the seven-play series, setting up a one-yard, go-ahead rushing touchdown by running back Breece Hall.

Jacksonville got the ball back with 1:05 on the clock but could not find similar success to New York offensively.

Over five plays beginning 70 yards away from the goal line, Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones completed three passes for 23 yards, tossed a deep incompletion, and was ultimately intercepted by Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner on his final throw of the game, a deep pass to Jacksonville wide receiver Parker Washington.

The pick muddied what was quarterback Mac Jones’ best performance in place of injured starter Trevor Lawrence this season. Jones completed 31-of-47 passes for 294 yards, the seventh-most in a game in his career, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Jaguars will travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders in Week 16, at 4:25 p.m. ET next Sunday.

The Jaguars sure stink, but at least they’ve got Brian Thomas Jr.

Thomas Jr. had his most dynamic day as a pro — and it didn’t matter, because these are the 2024 Jaguars.

Jacksonville is having the kind of season more akin to Urban Meyer than Doug Pederson. While that will resign the former Super Bowl winner to the same fate as his predecessor — there’s almost no chance Pederson keeps his job this winter — the optimism that followed Meyer’s departure won’t linger in 2025.

Meyer’s toxic influence was undeniable, denting the growth of then-rookie Trevor Lawrence. Between the allure of pairing him with a coach who made Nick by-god Foles a Super Bowl MVP and the promise of two incoming first round draft picks, it was easy to see how the Jaguars could return to… well, not glory, but a comfortable spot toward the back of the AFC playoff race.

Those hopes have faded. Lawrence has shrunk from Pro Bowl status, struggling through 2024 before an injury cut his season short after 10 games and a 2-8 record. No defense in the NFL has been worse. Jacksonville has given up more yards than anyone else and its 0.275 expected points added (EPA) allowed per opponent dropback is the league’s worst mark since 2020.

via rbsdm.com and the author.

For reference, Lamar Jackson’s EPA/dropback this season is 0.262. This is all very bad. But silver linings exist at the edges of this swirling funnel of garbage. Let’s start with the most obvious one.

Brian Thomas Jr. is the WR1 for which Jacksonville has been searching.

The fact Thomas is able to thrive with Mac Jones as his quarterback is remarkable. Jones is operating with a better top wideout than he ever had in New England, but in his first seven games as a Jaguar he’s thrown 16 deep balls and completed five of them. All to opposing players.

He is, in his soul, a passer with the kind of lack of awareness to give up seven yards on second-and-goal instead of simply throwing the ball away.

Thomas’s ability to create separation is a facet in both phases of his passing game. He can accelerate through press coverage. He can snap off off-coverage with shifty lateral movement and clean routes. Once the ball is secure, he has the vision to maximize gains:

The rookie’s 6.5 yards after catch are tied for the team lead with Travis Etienne — who is, notably, a running back. Statistically, that puts him in line with Ja’Marr Chase, Nico Collins and Puka Nacua when it comes to generating yards. That’s a boon for any quarterback, and on Sunday it led to 78 of Thomas’s 105 receiving yards — more than a quarter of Jones’s total output.

via nextgenstats.nfl.com

Thomas is a building block for the future. So is Travon Walker.

Walker didn’t hear his name called often in a terrible performance from the Jacksonville defense. He got to stare down a 41-year-old quarterback with fading mobility and led a pass rush that only sacked him once and hit him three times.

But Walker still finished the game with a tackle for loss. While it wasn’t his best showing, it fits into his portfolio as a growing force amidst a lost defense.

Walker has been asked to attack the quarterback more than ever in his career (from 85 percent to 97 percent this fall). He’s responded with 8.5 sacks in 14 games, allowing the opportunity to top last year’s 10-sack breakthrough. There’s been a bit of luck involved there — his time to sack is down from 4.8 seconds to 4.3 as Josh Hines-Allen has helped push quarterbacks in his direction — but his 44 pressures rank 21st in the NFL this fall.

The Jaguars knew who their stars were coming into 2024 thanks to Lawrence, Etienne and Hines-Allen. They didn’t know if Thomas Jr., the fourth receiver selected in this year’s draft could join them. They hoped Walker could sustain his 2023 growth after a disappointing rookie campaign that followed Jacksonville selecting him over budding superstar Aidan Hutchinson. Neither player has been able to maximize his potential in a disheveled mess of a season, but each has shown the capability to be a cornerstone for a winning team.

That’s what the Jaguars 2025 coaching hire will walk into. He’ll have a blue chip quarterback who may never reach his potential. He’ll have a running back who has averaged fewer than four yards per carry this fall. He’ll have a middling offensive line and arguably the league’s worst secondary.

He’ll also have a pair of young almost-stars in Thomas and Walker. They have the capability to be great, a quality the Jaguars have built a proud traditional of squandering. If a turnaround is going to happen in Florida, it’ll depend on these two players emerging as the best versions of themselves.

We saw what that looks like for Thomas in Week 15, albeit in a loss. But if you’re looking to sell a team to a rising head coaching prospect, there are worse places to start than “you get to revive Trevor Lawrence’s career with the kind of wideout who can make him immediately better.”

Mac Jones helped the Jaguars tank by weirdly giving up on a red-zone play vs. Jets

Mac Jones has absolutely zero awareness.

With Trevor Lawrence injured, Mac Jones has been trying to rehabilitate his NFL career as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ starting quarterback. I say “trying” because it’s not going well. Jones is one of the worst quarterbacks in professional football on an efficiency basis.

The eye test says much of the same. Though, I suppose the woeful Jaguars shouldn’t be too mad about Jones being awful if it helps their 2025 draft pick this coming April.

We saw this firsthand on Sunday afternoon when the Jaguars faced a second-and-goal against the New York Jets. As Jones rolled out to find a Jets receiver on a broken play, he stopped playing altogether.

I’m not joking.

Jones literally stopped dead in his tracks and pulled up in bounds to take a sack for a seven-yard loss for no reason. As a result, the Jaguars would have to settle for a field goal. Man, c’mon:

Even if Jones didn’t trust a throw to any of the Jaguars’ pass-catchers, he has no reason to take the sack here. He waved the white flag just because. He could’ve at least tossed the ball out of bounds instead of taking the negative play the way any competent quarterback did.

Ah, but that’s the rub. Jones is not a competent quarterback, and this kind of sequence isn’t remotely surprising for him.

Jaguars vs. Jets: Inactive lists

Jaguars vs. Jets: Inactive lists

The Jets will be without a pair of starters, tight end Tyler Conklin and cornerback D.J. Reed, against the Jaguars in Jacksonville on Sunday.

Find Jacksonville and New York’s inactive lists for the Jaguars and Jets’ Week 15 matchup below.

Jaguars inactives

  • RB D’Ernest Johnson
  • OL Javon Foster
  • DE Myles Cole
  • DT Esezi Otomewo
  • DT Jordan Jefferson

Analysis: Jacksonville’s inactive list is full of healthy scratches after the Jaguars moved tight end Evan Engram, their only player with a game designation for Week 15, to their injured reserve on Saturday.

Jets inactives

  • WR Malachi Coley
  • TE Tyler Conklin
  • OL Xavier Newman
  • EDGE Braiden McGregor
  • CB D.J. Reed
  • CB Brandin Echols
  • S Jaylin Simpson

Analysis: Headlining New York’s inactive list is starting cornerback D.J. Reed, who the Jets downgraded from doubtful to out on Saturday. Reed’s backup, cornerback Brandin Echols, won’t play either.

New York also made starting tight end Tyler Conklin inactive on Sunday. Conklin and his wife Scottie are reportedly expecting the birth of their first child.

Report: Jets star RB Breece Hall expected to play vs. Jaguars

Report: Jets star RB Breece Hall expected to play vs. Jaguars

New York Jets star running back Breece Hall is expected to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday after entering the weekend questionable due to a knee injury, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported overnight.

Hall missed New York’s Week 14, 32-26 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins due to his injury, which Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich described as related to an ACL tear Hall had surgery to repair in 2022.

Hall has rushed 164 times for 692 yards and four touchdowns and caught 46 passes for 401 yards and two scores in 12 games this season. His 1,093 yards from scrimmage rank No. 16 in the NFL this year.

The Jets previously ruled backup running back Kene Nwangwu and cornerbacks, starter D.J. Reed and backup Brandin Echols, out against the Jaguars.

Jacksonville only ruled starting tight end Evan Engram out against New York on its Friday injury report. Engram has since been placed on the injured reserve with a labrum injury that will require surgery.

Jets downgrade starting CB to out vs. Jaguars

Jets downgrade starting CB to out vs. Jaguars

The New York Jets downgraded starting cornerback D.J. Reed, as well as backup center Xavier Newman, from doubtful to out against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15, the club announced on Saturday.

Both Reed and Newman were labeled doubtful to play against Jacksonville on New York’s Friday injury report. Reed missed two days of practice this week with a groin injury; Newman missed one and was otherwise limited with a hurt groin, too.

In his third season as a member of New York’s starting secondary, Reed has produced 50 total tackles including two for loss, one sack and 10 defended passes in 11 games this year.

The Jets ruled Reed’s backup, cornerback Brandin Echols, out of Week 15 with a hurt shoulder on Friday. Despite appearing on the injury report with a hamstring injury this week, starting New York cornerback Sauce Gardner will play against Jacksonville.

Jacksonville vs. New York is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.

NFL fines Jaguars’ Josh Hines-Allen for unflagged play vs. Titans

NFL fines Jaguars’ Josh Hines-Allen for unflagged play vs. Titans

Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen was fined $16,883 by the NFL on Saturday for roughing the passer with his body weight in Jacksonville’s 10-6 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 14, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Hines-Allen was not penalized for the play during the game, a 12-yard strip-sack on Levis on the final snap of the second quarter. Levis aggravated a throwing shoulder injury originally suffered in Week 4, which eventually caused him to miss three games.

Hines-Allen finished the game with two tackles to pair with his sack and forced fumble. Levis completed the contest 19-of-32 passing for 168 yards.

The sack marked the 52nd of Hines-Allen’s NFL career, placing him 3.5 shy of Jacksonville’s franchise record, 55, set by Tony Brackens in 2003.

Hines-Allen, who signed a five-year, $141.3 million contract extension with the Jaguars in April, has recorded 286 total tackles with 61 for loss and his 52 sacks, two interceptions, 10 defended passes and 10 forced fumbles in 87 career appearances.

Jaguars call DE up from practice squad for first career game

Jaguars call DE up from practice squad for first career game

This story was updated to correct a typo. 

The Jaguars promoted practice squad defensive end D.J. Coleman to their active roster via standard elevation on Saturday for Jacksonville’s Week 15 matchup with the New York Jets.

Coleman will be active for the first regular season game of his NFL career after signing with Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent in May 2023. He is in his second season as a member of the Jaguars’ practice squad.

The Atlanta, Ga. native spent the first four seasons of his college career at Jacksonville State, where he appeared in 47 games and recorded 179 total tackles including 30.5 for loss, 18 sacks, two forced fumbles and seven defended passes.

Coleman transferred to Missouri as a graduate student for his final season of NCAA eligibility. He posted 38 total tackles with 10.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks and three forced fumbles with the Tigers.

Coleman will fill the roster spot vacated by the Jaguars placing starting tight end Evan Engram on their injured reserve Saturday.

Jaguars place TE Evan Engram on injured reserve

Jaguars place TE Evan Engram on injured reserve

The Jaguars placed starting tight end Evan Engram on their injured reserve Saturday, effectively ending his season as he recovers from a labrum injury that will require surgery.

Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson said Friday that Engram would miss the rest of the year after testing revealed the significance of his shoulder injury. Pederson previously expressed his expectation that Engram would play against the New York Jets in Week 15 on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately we’re going to lose Evan for the year,” Pederson said Friday. “After more MRI results, testing and all that, he’ll have a labrum to get fixed. So, he’ll have surgery and fix the shoulder and miss the rest of the year.”

Engram ends his season with 47 receptions for 365 yards and one touchdown in nine starts. He missed Jacksonville’s Weeks 2-5 matchups due to a hamstring injury.

In three seasons and 43 games with the Jaguars, Engram has caught 234 passes for 2,094 yards and nine touchdowns.