Jaguars get favorable grades despite discouraging Week 13 loss to the Texans

Lost in the midst of the chaos that arose from the hit linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair laid on Trevor Lawrence in Week 13 is that the Jacksonville Jaguars fought hard and took things down to the wire but ultimately failed to put the Houston Texans away. While there's no such thing as a moral victory, his effort didn't go unnoticed by John Breech of CBS Sports.

Breech gave grades to all the teams that played in Week 13 and assigned a "B" to Jacksonville, pointing out that Mac Jones kept them in the game after Lawrence left. He goes on to say that Doug Pederson might've done enough to keep his job the remainder of the season.

"The Jaguars deserve some serious credit for keeping this close. With the Texans leading to 23-6 in the fourth quarter -- and Trevor Lawrence knocked out of the game -- it looked like a blowout was going to happen, but the Jags managed to keep this close. Mac Jones threw for 134 yards and two touchdowns in the FOURTH QUARTER to get Jacksonville back in the game. The Jaguars are definitely still playing hard for Doug Pederson, which might be enough to help him keep his job for the remainder of the season. "

After missing the past two games with a shoulder sprain, Lawrence suited up against Houston. He was playing through injury and didn't particularly look sharp, which is understandable. When Jones took over the offense, Jacksonville was trailing 6-0 but managed to narrow the deficit. He got hot in the second half, leading three scoring drives for 17 points.

The Jags came close to tying the game but ultimately lost 23-20. As Breech pointed out, Jones played well enough, though. The same is true for wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., and sophomore Parker Washington. The defensive front also did its job, consistently rattling C.J. Stroud. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker had a sack each.

In the end, though, it wasn't enough and the Jaguars are now 2-10 for the season. In theory, they're still alive in the playoff race, but they'll be eliminated if the Denver Broncos win on Monday Night Football.

Doug Pederson is failing to get the Jaguars over the top

The loss to the Houston Texans wasn't very different from others the Jacksonville Jaguars have suffered in 2024. They either start slow or fade down the stretch to lose a game they could've won. Make no mistake, despite their glaring holes, the Jags have enough talent to win games but end up losing because of self-inflicted wounds. That falls on head coach Doug Pederson.

While the team shows promise at times, it hasn't been consistent enough to routinely win games. Players showed that they got each other's backs when they stuck up for Trevor Lawrence in Week 13. Similarly, they're still playing hard despite the fact that the season is lost. However, it seems like they're missing that push to get over the hump.

Following the loss to Houston, Bucky Brooks caught up with Pederson, who says that players are missing a winning mindset.

"I wish I had that crystal ball," Pederson responded when asked what will it take for the team to eventually get over the top. "And then there's teams that it goes the other way, look at the Chiefs, right? There's 13 or 14 wins. It comes down to a mindset. It comes down to saying enough's enough. Saying that we're going to, we're going to fight to the end, we're going to find a way, we're going to make a play, somebody's going to make a play to change the outcome of the game, whatever it might be."

Pederson continued, "That's what we got to get to. And we got to get enough guys. And I think the guys do believe in their hearts that they're going to win these games. I mean, it's not like they don't think they can't. I just don't want it to get into their minds that, 'hey, you know, if something goes bad, here we go again mentality.' That's where it has to start, right?"

"That thinking has to go away, and we can't be there. And I don't think the guys are at that point right now, the way our season is, we still have five games. I mean, three of them, division games, and we can still win out, 7-9, 7-10, I guess. See what happens, but you're playing for pride, you're playing for an opportunity to just represent yourself the organization and go play hard and try to win a game."

For the sake of the argument, let's say that players are missing that mindset Pederson is talking about. As the head coach, is he supposed to instill it? Is he responsible for making sure they are on the same page and know what they're playing for?

While there may be players who won't buy into the head coach's message, the buck stops with Pederson. Sure, players haven't given up, and maybe he did enough in Week 13 to justify keeping his job, but the team cannot close with him at the helm. That's why he needs to go.

More Jaguars analysis here: