Doug Pederson's seat must get hot after disastrous 2nd-half collapse vs. Dolphins

Head coach Doug Pederson got off to an impressive start to his tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his first season at the helm, he helped them win the AFC South and reach the playoffs. However, Doug P's luster has faded lately, and his seat should get considerably hotter after the Jags' collapse in the second half against the Miami Dolphins

Jacksonville made several mistakes in the first half of the season opener but managed a 17-7 lead at halftime. However, they were outplayed in the second half, and the Phins ended up winning 20-17.

You could point to the secondary giving up an 80-yard touchdown to wide receiver Tyreek Hill or running back Travis Etienne fumbling near the Dolphins' end zone as crucial plays that had a role in the loss. However, Pederson is ultimately responsible for the team's performance. While players must be held accountable for their mistakes, it's ultimately up to the head coach to have his team ready to play.

The defense certainly deserves some of the blame after giving up 20 points. On the other hand, they consistently rattled Tua Tagovailoa and there was only so much they could do before they couldn't hold their ground. If the offense had done their part, the outcome of the game would've likely been different. Now, the Jaguars are 0-1 to start the season, and it's fair to wonder how much different they are from their 2023 counterpart that lost five of six games to end the year.

Doug Pederson's honeymoon with the Jaguars is over

Nobody will deny Doug Pederson had a massive impact when he became the head coach of the Jaguars, as he had to clean up the mess Urban Meyer left in his lone season in Duval. Similarly, the Jags had won a combined 15 games in the four years prior to his arrival, so it's fair to say that the team is in better shape than it was in 2021.

Having said that, the NFL has always been about "what you've done for me lately" and Pederson hasn't done much recently.

Owner Shad Khan has made it clear that the expectation is to win now, and he's right for wanting results. Pederson raised the bar when he led Jacskonville to the playoffs, and Khan has made a heavy investment in the team, so he's right to demand results.

The good news is that Pederson has ample time to right the ship, but he must have a sense of urgency moving forward. Back in 2022, the Jags started 2-6 but eventually turned the corner. The difference is that expectations were low that year. Whatever good grace he's built since then is probably gone now. He must soon start winning and showing he deserves to keep his job.

This isn't to say that Pederson's seat is hot after just one game, but it should most definitely start to get warmer. As the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures, and maybe he needs to find himself against the wall to at last get the team over the top.

More Jaguars analysis here: