COLUMN: Jaguars' Offense Can't Be What Dooms the Team

On a team with Doug Pederson and Trevor Lawrence at the helm, offense simply can not be a problem for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) talks with head coach Doug Pederson during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Browns defeated the Jaguars 18-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars were not supposed to have this problem.

Three years into the Doug Pederson regime, the Jaguars offense should be on track to be one of the league's best.

After signing Trevor Lawrence to the biggest contract in franchise history, the Jaguars should be seeing their franchise passer reach new heights.

After adding the likes of Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, Travis Etienne, Brian Thomas Jr., and Gabe Davis to the offense in recent years, the Jaguars should be having season-long races to see who scores the most touchdowns.

After spending four first round picks on the offense since 2021, the Jaguars should see their offense reach heights it never has.

But through the first two weeks of the 2024 season, that hasn't happened. In the third year of Pederson's control of the offense, the Jaguars have shown regression in each season.

In Lawrence's first year as one of the NFL's highest-paid quarterbacks, he is completing close to just half his passes and has just one touchdown.

In a year with a supporting cast that is among the best the Jaguars have ever had, the Jaguars have seen career-low starts from Kirk and Etienne and their best player is their rookie receiver.

On an offense filled with first-round picks and high-priced free agents, the Jaguars have scored more points through two weeks than just three other NFL teams.

Simply put, the Jaguars are in a situation where the offense can not and should not be the issue. On a team with a new defensive coordinator and new defensive scheme, the Jaguars' offense is being completely carried by the other unit and has scored just 30 points through two games.

For context, the last time the Jaguars scored 30 points or fewer through two weeks was in 2014 when Chad Henne started the first two games and Denard Robinson was the leading rusher.

Every single anemic Blake Bortles-led offense scored more in the first two games than the 2024 Jaguars. The one-win 2020 Jaguars squad scored 57 points in the first two weeks. And even Urban Meyer's squad out-scored this current Jaguars team by four points.

The worst sign of things to come is the fact that the Jaguars' scoring output has regressed in each year under Pederson. They averaged 23 points per game in the first two weeks of 2022, 20 points per game in 2023, and now are at just 15 points per game.

This can't be the case.

Pederson was hired as a quarterback guru who could help turn Lawrence into an elite passer. The Jaguars have shown flashes, but the last two seasons have seen the offense take a step back.

Lawrence, considered by many to be one of the best quarterback prospects this century, is in his third season in Pederson's system. He has the same head coach, same offensive coordinator, and same quarterbacks coach for the third year in a row.

He can't be putting up the middling numbers he has while castoffs such as Gardner Minshew, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield are among the NFL's top passers through two weeks.

If the Jaguars were to miss the playoffs in 2024 due to their defense, that could be stomached. But the Jaguars' offense can not be what dooms this team. Not after the way it has been constructed.

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