Doug Pederson has dull reason for not discussing dubious play in Jaguars' Week 4 loss

The Jacksonville Jaguars came close to beating the Houston Texans in Week 4 but ultimately came up short. Following the 24-20 loss, head coach Doug Pederson raised eyebrows because he threw players under the bus while trying to defend offensive coordinator. Earlier in the same exchange, he made another puzzling comment when asked about one of the most important plays of the game.

Leading 20-17 in the third quarter, the Jaguars got the Houston one-yard line. They couldn't reach the end zone the first three times, so they went for it on fourth down. All things considered, the play was good: a quarterback draw that would've been good if right guard Brandon Scherff had held his block.

Instead, Scherff got beaten by defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi, and Jacksonville turned the ball over on downs. After the game, Pederson was asked about it and said he'd rather not go into it because it no longer mattered," It's a moot point. [It] doesn't matter now, so I'm not going to talk about it."

Pederson is right that the game was over but it's not uncommon for coaches to discuss plays and everything that went into calling them. It's possible that he felt good about the play but execution is what made it look bad.

This isn't farfetched when you take into account that he said that Press Taylor was doing a good job calling plays but neither of them could get on the field and play. Leaving aside how good or bad the play was, Jacksonville failed to score. And that's the thing, scoring would've given the Jaguars a 27-20 lead. This would have made it difficult for Houston to come back.

It's also worth noting that the Jaguars' defense was playing well, so going for it on fourth down was an unnecessary risk Pederson didn't need to take.

Doug Pederson's seat is getting hotter and the Jaguars must decide the course of action

Head coach Doug Pederson was seemingly annoyed and irritated after the loss. This is understandable. He felt he did his part to win, but the Jacksonville Jaguars still came up short. They're now 0-4, and he must be feeling the heat.

Sure, Pederson said after the game that asking him about his job security was strange. One week prior, he said that owner Shad Khan gave him assurances and believed in his vision for the team. However, it would be odd if the thought of getting the boot next year hadn't gone through his mind.

Already, there's chatter about Pederson being dismissed. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported before the Week 4 game that the Jags aren't planning on firing either the head coach or Press Taylor because they wouldn't have anyone to run the offense. That means that the organization may not move on from either one this season. That gives the head coach a bit of breathing room but the team is still not meeting expectations, so there's a strong chance he'll be gone.

In the end, one play won't make or break a team's season, and Doug Pederson isn't feeling the heat because he went for it on fourth down. His seat is getting warmer because the Jaguars are 0-4, and every loss will increase the likelyhood he won't be the head coach in 2025.

More Jaguars analysis here: