Doug Pederson must get Jaguars on right track if he doesn't want to join Robert Saleh

The Jacksonville Jaguars won their first game of the season when they beat the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5. But as encouraging as the win was, there's still plenty of work left to do to get back on track. Similarly, the discussion about Doug Pederson's job security won't go away. Heck, he could be the next coach who gets the boot after the New York Jets moved on from Robert Saleh.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Jets fired Saleh a couple days after their loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London. Other outlets then confirmed the news.

Saleh says that he went to work and was blindsided by the news, pointing out that he was disappointed he didn't get the chance to turn things around with what he considered a talented roster, according to insider Jay Glazer.

All things considered, Saleh did a good job with what he had. The New York defense was one of the best in the NFL during his three-year tenure in the Big Apple.

Ultimately, Saleh didn't get the job done, which is why the Jets gave him his walking papers. It didn't help that he had to work with Nathaniel Hackett when he wanted to keep Mike LeFleur as the offensive coordinator but the buck stops with the head coach, so he was made responsible for the team's lack of success.

The Robert Saleh firing must be a walke-up call for Jaguars HC Doug Pederson

Doug Pederson has been under lots of scrutiny this season. The Jacksonville Jaguars just won one game but they had lost nine of their last 10 games dating back to last season. It's also worth noting that their only victory came against the lowly Carolina Panthers, so it's not hyperbole to say that the team was on a downward spiral. What makes the decline even more impressive is that the Jags started 8-3 last year and had gone to the playoffs in 2022.

Moreover, the team's brass made several upgrades to the roster in the offseason. Add the fact that owner Shad Khan called this the 2024 version the most talented team ever and Pederson's seat was hot after their 0-4 start.

But then, Jacksonville fended off the Colts in Week 5 and the offense (Pederson's area of expertise) hit their stride. Trevor Lawrence played his best game of the season, Brian Thomas Jr. came through, and running back Tank Bigsby had his first 100-yard game ever. On defense, Travon Walker had a monster game, registering three sacks and seven total pressures.

Just like Pederson deserves the blame for the losses he should get credit for answering the call against Indianapolis. However, the Jaguars cannot stop.

They must build off of their first win of the season, and crawl their way out of the cellar of the NFL. Currently, the Jags are 1-4 and three games behind the Houston Texans in the AFC South. They have a favorable two-week slate next, so they have a legitimate shot to turn things around. Conversely, they could continue their descent, and Pederson's seat could get hot once again.

In the end, the New York Jets were the first team to pull the trigger, but that doesn't mean the Jacksonville Jaguars won't consider making a move if Doug Pederson cannot right the ship.

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