The Jacksonville Jaguars had trouble putting points on the scoreboard when Trevor Lawrence was healthy, and things have gotten worse with Mac Jones taking his place behind center. While there's no denying Jones has to play better, head coach Doug Pederson's recent reaction to a question about his accuracy downfield doesn't speak well about his confidence in him.
In Week 15, Pederson had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter. However, he overthrew a pass that turned into an interception, effectively ending the comeback attempt. Heading into the matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, Pederson was asked what the fourth-year quarterback has to do to throw the ball the better downfield. There was an uncomfortable silence for around 15 seconds before he finally offered a response.
"Part of the offense, part of playing the position, we have the ability to shoot the ball down the field, obviously, with BT and some of the guys. It's a mindset, right? It's a mindset that we're going to stay aggressive, we're going to be aggressive, we're going to take our shots. And, it's got to be that touchdown to check down mentality, meaning if the shot is there, take it. Yeah, accuracy and putting the ball where it needs to be, where you want to put the ball as a quarterback, that's part of it too."
Pederson continued, "But I don't ever want the quarterback to shy away, or be hesitant when there's opportunities to put the ball down the field, if that makes sense. Now the accuracy part, yeah, we can control that, and we can help him with that, and we can work on that. And again, playing the position, you want to put the ball. You got control, right? So put the ball where you want the ball. And that's something that we talked about with all our quarterbacks."
Maybe Pederson was trying to come up with the right words, or perhaps he was trying to avoid throwing Jones under the bus. But regardless of the reason, the silence before the response was telling. Here's the clip of the exchange, it starts at the 10-second mark.
Jones has been underwhelming during Lawrence's absence, completing 64.9 percent of his throws for 1,704 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions. Apart from struggling to reach the end zone, one of his biggest issues has been his penchant for turning the ball over.
Doug Pederson's surprise reaction is bad news for the Jaguars
Mac Jones hasn't been the player the Jacksonville Jaguars expected when they traded for him earlier this year, but Doug Pederson's silence before responding is a sign that he may not trust his quarterback or he simply is going through the motions. Either scenario should be a reason for concern.
One of the most important relationships on the football field is that of the quarterback and the head coach. Sure, there are other positions, quarterbacks have the biggest impact on the outcome of the game; they're the head coach's eyes, so there needs to be a high level of trust. It doesn't look like Pederson trusts Jones.
On the other hand, the Jags are 4-16 dating back to Week 13 of the 2024 season. Doug Pederson is in danger of losing his job and appears to be aware of it. It's possible that he's just doing the bare minimum — and that includes helping Jones improve — because he knows the end is near.
All in all, it looks like all the losing is taking a toll on the Jaguars, which doesn't well for their chances of beating the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16.