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Jacksonville Jaguars questions: Doug Pederson's hot seat and Trevor Lawrence's poor play
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- Jacksonville Jaguars questions: Doug Pederson's hot seat and Trevor Lawrence's poor play
Where to begin?
The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't playing good football right now. At 0-3, the team has another challenge ahead of it against the Houston Texans , the next opportunity to get in the win column.
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Nothing has gone right for Jacksonville. Nothing went right in the team's 47-10 forgettable loss against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
Trevor Lawrence 's struggles explained: Jacksonville Jaguars QB wouldn't call it 'pressing'
"I just can't think of anything. Maybe the kickoff. Touchback. I don't know," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the game when asked if there is something positive he can point to, that the team can build off of.
Pederson wasn't joking. Not really. At least not about the game. There was nothing to be positive about, nothing redeeming. It was just a bad game for a bad football team.
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Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor was asked Thursday why execution mistakes — simple things like route depth, sets in pass protection and hanging onto the football — keep happening. He said that everyone is just trying to make a play, but all 11 just have to do their job.
"It's nothing we feel like we can't correct, but it's got to happen. There's certainly an urgency to make things happen as well," Taylor said.
Let's get to the questions.
Is Doug Pederson on the hot seat?
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson smiles during day 7 of the Jaguars Training Camp Sunday, July 31, 2022 at the Knight Sports Complex at Episcopal School of Jacksonville. Today marked the first practice in full pads.
In what world could a coach who has gone 1-8 in his last nine games dating back to last season not be on the hot seat? Jaguars owner Shad Khan wasn't happy after the team's thrashing on Monday Night Football . Of course he wasn't, but the patience has to run out at some point.
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Doug Pederson has not lived up to his hiring. He hasn't brought the Jaguars to consistency since he joined in 2022. The Jaguars caught fire in 2022 and extended that into the 2023 season until the fire was extinguished.
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The fact that questions asked of the team's top decision-makers are met with what amount to crickets, is staggering. It should stagger Khan, too. He shouldn't be happy after mandating wins (duh), but more importantly, he has to start thinking years down the road — is Pederson still the man for the job?
So, yes, Pederson is on the hot seat. It would be malpractice for the franchise to not have him there. Is it over after just three games into the 2024 season? No, it's not. But, it will be if the team can't get a win soon. This coming week will be a start.
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How poorly is Trevor Lawrence playing right now? Is it his fault?
Cleveland Browns defensive end Alex Wright (91) sacks Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) in the end zone for a safety during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Browns defeated the Jaguars 18-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
There are no mincing words or adding excuses — Trevor Lawrence has not played well enough.
He's playing his worst football with a completion percentage of 52.8%. That ranks 32nd among Jaguars quarterbacks in team history through the first three games of a season with a minimum of 60 passing attempts. His passer rating of 75.1 ranks 23rd and his adjusted net yards per attempt (ANY/A) ranks 21st at 4.72, according to Pro Football Reference .
Lawrence hasn't been able to get in rhythm yet this year and offered a candid overview of where he feels he's made mistakes through the first three weeks of the season.
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Jacksonville tried to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers on Monday night, targeting Christian Kirk and Brian Thomas Jr. , nine and 10 times, respectively. Their efforts, however, were in vain.
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Lawrence isn't the only player at fault for the team's struggling passing game.
According to NFL Pro, Lawrence is the ninth-most pressured quarterback this year at 36.5% of his dropbacks. That is despite being blitzed at the 19th-highest rate in the league at 25%. For reference, Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield has been blitzed on 43.1% of his dropbacks.
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Lawrence has had to get rid of the ball quickly, unable to reach progressions naturally given that the team has allowed pressure in an average of 2.61 seconds per dropback. Lawrence has gotten the ball out of his hands an average of 2.76 seconds per dropback.
According to Pro Football Reference, Jaguars receivers have dropped six passes this year. That ranks as the fourth-highest number among all 32 teams.
What's the biggest issue with the Jaguars' defense?
Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen talks with his players during the fourth day of the NFL football training camp practice session Saturday, July 27, 2024 at EverBank Stadium's Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
The Jaguars might need to find out where coach Bob Sutton resides these days because they don't seem to be using his mantra " Think Takeaways " this season.
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There are plenty of issues with Jacksonville's defense as they go through a round of attrition early this year, missing top cornerback Tyson Campbell , linebacker Foye Oluokun and potentially more players who have popped up on the team's injury report.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Jaguars vs Texans predictions: Trevor Lawrence desperately needs win
But, the biggest issue the defense has right now is in the takeaways department. Jacksonville is the only franchise this season that hasn't forced a takeaway. According to ESPN's Mike DiRocco, the last time Jacksonville struggled this much in that department was in 2019, when the Jaguars didn't get a turnover until the third game of the season.
The Jaguars have been close. Oluokun and fellow LB Ventrell Miller have gotten their hands on the football only to come up empty, as has cornerback Ronald Darby . Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, LB Devin Lloyd forced a fumble only for it to bounce right back to the Browns.
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Still, to be successful, the Jaguars need to find a way to get the ball back for the team's offense.
"Sometimes it just takes one. One leads to two. So that's our whole thing. Let's just get one, fellas. And we're working on it. It's been a constant effort in practice, things that we're, fundamentals, technique," Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said Thursday. "It is a huge thing that we're working to get done. It'll happen. It's just, when it happens, I don't want the guys to press too hard and get too worried about it."
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars questions: Trevor Lawrence's issues; Doug Pederson's hot seat
