Jaguars' uninspiring showing vs. Lions making Doug Pederson's seat unbearably hot

Heading into Week 11, there was chatter that the Jacksonville Jaguars could fire Doug Pederson if they're embarrassed against the Detroit Lions. One half into the game, the head coach hasn't done nearly enough to justify keeping his job.

Although the Jags got off to a strong start, they've struggled to keep up with Detroit. Mac Jones and the offense marched down to the Lions' 40-yard but had to settle for a field goal. Rookie Cam Little proceeded to nail his 59-yard attempt to tie the franchise record for the longest kick.

But following Little's field goal, Jacksonville hasn't shown much fight on either side of the ball. The offense punted twice while the defense gave up touchdowns in four consecutive drives to make it 28-3.

Near the end of the second quarter, Little made another field goal — this time from 35 yards out — to make it 28-6, but it was simply too little (no pun intended) and too late.

Once again, the Jaguars are showing that they cannot move the football, let alone put points on the scoreboard, without Trevor Lawrence. The former Clemson Tiger missed his second straight game while he recovers from a shoulder sprain.

Having ruled out Lawrence several days before the game, Mac Jones got all the first-team reps on offense. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to help him bounce back from his underwhelming outing against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11. In two quarters, the former Alabama standout is 13-of-18 for 81 yards with no touchdowns.

Days before the game, insider Josina Anderson reported that owner Shad Khan would prefer to make a chance until the end of the season but could fire Pederson (and possibly general manager Trent Baalke) if they were embarrassed by the Lions.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media followed Anderson's report up with the news that there's a feeling of doom around the Jaguars building and wouldn't be surprised if Khan cut ties with both Pederson and Baalke. Based on how things are playing out against the Lions, it seems inevitable.

Doug Pederson must know his end with the Jaguars is near

Looking back, maybe Doug Pederson knew the Jags were going to be pummeled. Melanie Collins of CBS Sports got the chance to catch up with the head coach before the game and asked him whether he saw enough in Jones to believe he could rebound. He didn't have much to say besides the quarterback's past accomplishments with the New England Patriots.

While Pederson led the Jags to the playoffs and an AFC South title in his first season at the helm, they've struggled to enjoy sustained success the past two years. Following an 8-3 start in 2023, Jacksonville went on to lose five of their last six games. Things haven't been much better this season.

You could make the case that outside the Buffalo Bills game in Week 3, the Jags have been competitive, but the truth is that the win-loss column doesn't show whether a team played hard or was embarrassed.

Dating back to Week 13 of the 2023 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars have won just three of their last 16 games and are close to losing the 17th. That should be enough to prompt owner Shad Khan to make a decision and dismiss both Doug Pederson. And while they're at it, they must also kick general manager Trent Baalke to the curb.

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