Week 13 loss to Texans should be the final nail in Doug Pederson's Jaguars coffin

The Jacksonville Jaguars entered Week 13 looking to keep their season alive, but the Houston Texans proved to be too much for them and ultimately lost 23-20. Having been eliminated from playoff contention, the Jags can do nothing but start planning for the future. And they can get a head start on their search for their next head coach by dismissing Doug Pederson as soon as possible.

Jacksonville would've stayed in the thick of the playoff race if they had beaten their division foes. However, a loss effectively brings their season to a halt. Then again, a win wouldn't have guaranteed that the Jags would have qualified for the postseason. In order to have a 20 percent chance of getting in, they would've had to go 6-0.

Having been eliminated, the Jags don't have much to play for the remainder of the season, and that should allow them to move on from Pederson.

Heading into Week 11, Josina Anderson reported that owner Shad Khan would prefer to wait until the end of the season to make changes but didn't rule out dismissing Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke if they were embarrassed against the Detroit Lions. Even though they lost 32-6, Khan chose to stay put. One reason he may not have made a move was that the Jags were still mathematically in position to earn a playoff spot.

This makes sense when you take into account that keeping Doug Pederson would've been the right call if Jacksonville got hot and made a playoff push like it did in 2022. However, the team came crashing down and has now lost five straight games dating back to Week 8.

Why the Jacksonville Jaguars must move on from Doug Pederson

Based on the team's 3-15 record dating back to Week 13 of the 2023 season, Doug Pederson cannot say with a straight face that he deserves to keep his job. You could argue that he led the Jacksonville Jaguars to the playoffs in 2022. He got lots of recognition at the time, and deservedly so, after helping them heal from the Urban Meyer debacle, but that was two years ago, and in a league where you have to consistently prove yourself, he's failed to deliver.

Granted, injuries have hit the Jags hard the past two years, but the truth is that the best clubs find a way to adjust. Similarly, general manager Trent Baalke hasn't provided the head coach with enough talent, but that's why he also needs to go.

Ultimately, Pederson had enough players to work with but wasn't able to get the most out of them. That's on him. Sure, you can make the case — and he said so himself — that players need to execute, but that falls on coaching, and it's fair to say that the Jags routinely looked overmatched and unprepared this season.

This begs the question, what's the point of keeping Pederson for the remainder of the season? The Jaguars have already been eliminated from the playoffs. Keeping him around will only bring further questions about his future or lack thereof with the team. This could in turn become a distraction.

On the other hand, the Jags can start looking for Pederson's replacement if they dismiss him now. And by taking their time to conduct a proper search, they'll have a better chance of landing the best possible candidate.

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