The Jacksonville Jaguars were looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2023 but have instead come up short of expectations this season. While injuries and roster decisions have played a role in their underwhelming record, the truth is that head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke deserve the blame for the team's failure to make the playoffs. So what exactly kept the Jags out of the postseason race? Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report points to a crucial reason.
Knox recently looked at all the teams that have already been eliminated from playoff contention and discussed the main reason they're out. Regarding the Jags, he believes Pederson is at fault and offers a couple examples.
For starters, Knox argues that Jacksonville has routinely been unprepared for games this season, and he isn't wrong. They have had several chances to win close games but have come up short in nearly all of them. That's on the head coach. But more importantly, Pederson has failed to take responsibility for his failures and even pinned the blame on the players at one point. Here's the skinny.
" What's worse is that he's been unwilling to truly take accountability for his team's struggles.
"As coaches, we can't go out there and make the plays, right? It's a two-way street," he told reporters after Jacksonville's 0-4 start to the season. "So, you know, you guys can sit here and point the finger all you want and it's fine."
Pederson helped the Jaguars succeed in his first year on the job, but Jacksonville now feels like a franchise stuck in neutral and incapable of getting onto the right track. Therefore, the idea that the Jags will look for a new head coach in the offseason is unsurprising."
Knox goes on to say that the Jaguars cannot expect to keep Pederson in 2025 and expect things to change dramatically. For the sake of clarity, there's speculation about firing him at some point this year or next, but there's no guarantee that he will indeed get kicked to the curb.
Heading into Week 12, Josina Anderson of The Athletic reported that owner Shad Khan would prefer to make a decision on Pederson's (and Baalke's) fate after the season but could pull the trigger if they were embarrassed against the Detroit Lions. They were humiliated but things stayed the same, so it's fair to say that the Jaguars will wait until the offseason to make any tweaks if any.
Why the Jaguars must move on from Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke
Doug Pederson deserves plenty of credit for helping the Jacksonville Jaguars recover from the Urban Meyer era and taking them to the playoffs and an AFC South title in his first season at the helm. That said, he cannot perpetually rest on his laurels, and in a league where you have to consistently prove yourself, Pederson has been measured, weighted, and found wanting.
Dating back to Week 13 of the 2023 season, the Jags have only won four games. On top of that, they've routinely failed to deliver in the clutch. With the game on the line, the offense will come up short, or the defense will wave the white flag. That comes with preparedness, and Jacksonville has not been a prepared team this season. That's on Pederson, whose message doesn't appear to resonate with players.
But apart from his approach, Pederson isn't getting help from either of his coordinators. The offense lacks an identity under Press Taylor, and the defense has been dislodged with Ryan Nielsen at the helm. If the head coach wants to keep his job, he'll need to fire both of them. Otherwise, retaining him doesn't make much sense.
The offseason is inching closer and it looks like the Jacksonville Jaguars are ready to press the reset button. Unless Doug Pederson reinvents himself and start holding himself accountable, he'll most likely be gone in 2025.