Are the Jaguars the Laughingstock of the NFL?

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been battered this season. The Jaguars will continue to be the laughingstock of the league until something changes.

Sep 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) calls an audible against the Houston Texans in the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

As the worst team in the National Football League, critiques naturally come from those outside of the organization. Such has been the case for the Jacksonville Jaguars after starting the season 0-4. While the team lost again last week, they did show progress in a few areas.

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson noted the offensive line had arguably its most productive game of the season. Pederson credited the outside noise for helping motivate the Jaguars’ offensive line to be better.

“I just think they approached it from maybe a couple of ways,” Pederson said. “One, they were probably taking a little bit of heat outside the building, and so they take that personally and just want to play better.”

Pederson noted that the offensive tackles and the other offensive linemen worked hard last week after struggling the first three weeks of the season. The Jaguars offensive line has allowed more sacks than nearly any other line in the league.

However, last week against the Houston Texans, they only allowed quarterback Trevor Lawrence to be sacked once. It was the fewest he had been sacked in any game this season, making the team’s matchup against the Texans the Jaguars offensive line’s best game. 

Pederson believes that now that the Jaguars’ offensive line has played four games together, the unit has begun taking strides. He noted that facing talented edge rushers early in the season and doing a solid job of protecting Lawrence has given them confidence.

“I think the work that they've done now, the five guys playing together for the first four weeks, can also help that,” Pederson said. “Knowing that you're playing against two really good edge rushers again, that Houston has. They really stepped up to the challenge. 

“I just think that in itself – they take a lot of pride in their work and really stepped up and played really, really well. Played their best game, and I thought last week the offensive line, for the most part, for the whole game, really played their best game of the season so far.”

The offensive line played relatively well last week. However, Lawrence is still on pace to be sacked more than he has at any point in his career. He is also averaging some of the worst passing stats of his career, partially because of the lack of protection he has had. 

The Jaguars have the most significant hole to dig out of in the entire NFL if they hope to make something out of this season. It is a long shot, but it is not impossible. However, to do so, they must find a way to protect Lawrence and get the offense going. 

Otherwise, the season may be over before it ever really began for the Jaguars. It will be up to Pederson and his coaching staff to stop the downward trajectory of a team with plenty of talent on it. 

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE