Doug Pederson feeling the heat as Jaguars undo progress made since Urban Meyer era

Following the 2021 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars needed someone who could undo all the damage Urban Meyer did during his short stint as the head coach. Doug Pederson ended up getting the Herculean task. All things considered, he did a good job early on, taking the Jags to the playoffs and helping them win their first AFC South title since 2017. However, things haven't recently been great, and all the progress the team made has gone out of the window.

After an enticing 2022 season, the Jaguars were seen as dark horse contenders last year. While they got off to a strong start, they faded down the stretch, losing five of their last six games. But as bad as the season went, there was hope Jacksonville was going to bounce back in 2024. Said hope was misplaced, as they're currently 0-3.

The trouble isn't that they've lost three games in a row but rather that they've been embarrassed by teams that had no business beating them: The Miami Dolphins and the Cleveland Browns. Neither is what you would call a playoff contender but they had no trouble disposing of the Jaguars. Then, they tried to take on the Bills and were mercilessly pummeled, on Monday Night Football and in front of a national audience no less.

Now, the Jaguars are 0-3 and wondering what went wrong. The truth is that the blame lies on Pederson. Sure, general manager Trent Baalke has been far from great, and he did a poor job of beefing up the offensive line in the offseason. However, the head coach is the one responsible for getting the most out of their players. One look at the last three games will show that Doug P isn't getting the job done.

Right now, Jacksonville is playing sloppy and uninspired football. That's on Pederson, not Baalke. This takes us to the next point, the 2024 Jaguars aren't as bad if not worse than their Urban Meyer counterpart.

The Jaguars are back to Urban-Meyer levels of ugliness under Doug Pederson

Make no mistake, Urban Meyer had no idea what he was doing, and the organization was right to fire him after managing to sink the team just a few months after getting the job. That said, he didn't lose to the Miami Dolphins or was humiliated by the Buffalo Bills like the 2024 Jaguars did. But that's no evidence that the team is worse right now.

The proof is that back when Meyer was at the helm, the Jaguars were lacking talent and depth at most position groups but were still somewhat competitive. Moreover, Trevor Lawrence was a rookie, so his struggles were understandable, if not expected. Fast forward to 2024, and the former Clemson Tiger is playing even worse than he was in his first NFL season.

Similarly, the roster has much more talent and there are several proven leaders. Yet, they rank near the cellar in the NFL in points scored and points surrendered. That's a reflection of Pederson's performance.

Heck, the Jags had to deal with Meyer's toxic presence and off-field shenanigans. Their 2024 doesn't have to deal with that kind of distraction but is still one of the worst teams in the league.

How can the Jaguars and Pederson undo all the progress they made since 2022? It's hard to tell but unless they find the answers quickly, they'll remain stuck in the hole they dug themselves into.

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