Rumblings about Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan possibly parting ways with head coach Doug Pederson during the season are growing louder amid the club’s 0-4 start.
Pederson discussed the state of the Jacksonville locker room while speaking with reporters on Monday.
“They’re disappointed like I am,” Pederson said about his players, as shared by Michael DiRocco of ESPN. “They’re frustrated like I am. Our job as coaches is we have to point out the good and the bad. That’s why we watch tape and that’s why we make the corrections so that we can help the players be better players on Sundays and things just aren’t carrying over from practice to the games. And that’s been our Achilles heel these first obviously month of the season.”
The Jaguars have dropped nine of their past 10 games going back to last season, while quarterback Trevor Lawrence has lost nine consecutive starts. According to Pro Football Reference, Lawrence heads into Week 5 ranked 23rd in the NFL among qualified players with a 44.4 adjusted QBR, tied for 25th with a 78.9 passer rating, 28th with a 38.1% passing success rate and 32nd with a 53.3% completion percentage on the season.
For a piece published Tuesday, ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote that he’s “confident a breath of fresh air could lead to a quick and significant improvement in the Jaguars’ offense” because “it doesn’t sound as if” Pederson is the right coach for this Jacksonville team.
Pederson seemingly remains confident he can guide the club back into playoff conversations.
“I will still hold them accountable,” Pederson added about the squad. “I will still hold my coaches accountable. I’ll hold myself accountable but at the same time I better come Wednesday and make them feel like they could run through that wall.”
Solak noted that “the Jaguars need a win just to wipe the slate clean.” Jacksonville will look to earn that victory when the club hosts the 2-2 Indianapolis Colts this coming Sunday.
As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Jaguars as three-point favorites over the Colts. Indianapolis may be without starting quarterback Anthony Richardson (hip pointer) for that contest.
