Why Week 7 game vs. Patriots may be Doug Pederson's last as Jaguars head coach

The Jacksonville Jaguars are close to reaching a boiling point. Just one week after beating the Indianapolis Colts, they lost their fifth game of the season when they were embarrassed 35-16 by the Chicago Bears. Now, all teams deal with losing streaks but the Jags haven't been doing great since last year, and head coach Doug Pederson is a big reason why. This begs the question, will he be gone if they fall to the New England Patriots in Week 7?

The Jaguars have lost 10 of their last 12 games dating back to Week 13 of the 2023 season. Now, general manager Trent Baalke also deserves blame for the team's struggles, but the buck stops with Pederson, and it's hard to justify keeping him around based on his performance the past two years.

Pederson got hired in 2022. The Jaguars made the playoffs and won the AFC South that year. They followed that up with an 8-3 start in 2023. However, Jacksonville faded down the stretch and failed to qualify for the postseason.

The team's brass proceeded to revamp the coaching staff and made upgrades to the roster. But despite the changes, the Jags are 1-5, and without realistic signs of turning things around. What's concerning is that they looked like a playoff contender as recently as a year ago. This makes you wonder what's made Jacksonville and Trevor Lawrence regress so badly in 2024.

Lawrence had a rough rookie season but showed progress in 2022. In fact, he played like a top-10 quarterback to finish the season. He was equally productive last year before injuries hampered his performance. The expectation was that the former Clemson Tiger was going to bounce back once he got healthy but that hasn't been the case.

Sure, Lawrence is back at full strength in 2024, or as close as he can be, but his play hasn't been nearly as great as it was the year prior, completing just 60.7 percent of his throws for 1,334 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. While he must play better, his supporting cast and coaching have also played a part in his regression.

Speaking of coaching, the offense has been plagued by drops and ill-timed penalties in 2024. That's partly on players but also on the coaching staff, and the Jaguars aren't playing like a disciplined team this season. That's on Pederson. Add the fact that a report surfaced that he lost the locker room, along with Andre Cisco's comments that some of his teammates quit, and the head coach must be on the hot seat.

Why the Jaguars must fire Doug Pederson if they lose to the Patriots?

The report about Doug Pederson losing the locker room wouldn't be an issue — or wouldn't be as worrisome — if the Jacksonville Jaguars were winning but that's not the case. The fact that he said that the team could use a culture change even though he's still in charge was particularly odd.

Maybe Pederson has accepted that he's lost the locker room, but even if he hasn't, he and the Jaguars might be better off parting ways if they lose to the New England Patriots in Week 7. If that's what happens, it wouldn't make much sense to keep him around. The same is true for general manager Trent Baalke.

After all, by cutting ties with Pederson and not after the season, the team would prevent his employment status become a weekly topic of conversation. Similarly, they could get a head start in the search for his potential replacement. Of course, if Jacksonville does kick the head coach to the curb, the general manager must also go.

Baalke hasn't been necessarily dreadful but he hasn't been great either. Compounding the issue is that he's seemingly fostered a conflictive work environment dating back to his days with the San Francisco 49ers. Sure, he's had several hits throughout his stint with the Jaguars but not enough to justify keeping him around.

The truth is that half-measures hardly ever work, and the Jaguars are in dire need of a fresh start. A loss to the New England Patriots should get them closer to it.

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