It took 45 years for a team to be as bad as the Jaguars in pathetic Lions loss

With the Jacksonville Jaguars in line for a one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft amid Trevor Lawrence's shoulder trouble, the 2024 season is all but cooked. That doesn't excuse Doug Pederson getting ripped to shreds by a Detroit Lions team that barely broke a sweat in a dominant trouncing.

The Jags were humbled in a 52-6 thrashing at the hands of an elite Lions team. Mac Jones failed to lead the team to a touchdown all afternoon, while the Lions scored a touchdown during every drive in which starting quarterback Jared Goff was on the field. The 46-point margin of defeat was the worst mark in franchise history.

Losing is one thing, but being totally outclassed to that degree is another. It has been almost five decades since a team put together as pathetic and listless a performance in an NFL game.

The Jaguars were outgained by a remarkable 475 yards against Detroit. This was the first time since the 1979 season that there was that wide of a difference in total yardage between the two teams. This is the true low point of the Pederson era.

Jaguars loss to Lions was worst yardage differential in 45 years

For those wondering, the last game to see such a wide spread of yards was a 1979 duel between the Rams and the Seahawks. Seattle quarterback Jim Zorn went 2-17 passing for 25 yards and was sacked six times, giving Seattle -7 yards in the entire game compared to Los Angeles' 475. The Jags scored points in this game and still got trounced that badly.

While ownership has not fired Pederson yet, it seems less likely with each passing game that he and much-maligned GM Trent Baalke will be able to keep their jobs long-term. This facelift is sorely needed after getting ruined so thoroughly that no Jaguars team had ever had a loss quite like that one.

As Jones has shown, Lawrence can make up for many of the team's issues when he is performing well. There is some talent there, but this staff has no idea how to press the right buttons to make it all click.

The Jaguars were 8-3 and seemingly a lock for the playoffs not even a year ago, and they have won three games since that mark. The league quickly outgrew Pederson's style, as Detroit's attack was so advanced that Jacksonville was comparatively playing stone-age football.