Doug Pederson Gives His Take on Jaguars' Fatal Flaw

The Jacksonville Jaguars have plenty of problems halfway through the season that should not be a problem. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson opened up about one specific struggle the Jaguars have right now.

Nov 26, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 2-9 on the season and arguably the worst team in the National Football League. In those 11 games, the Jaguars have scored a combined 30 points in the first quarter.

In other words, the Jaguars have averaged less than three points in the first quarter of games this season. Their inability to start fast has negatively impacted the team and played a significant role in the offense’s struggles and the team's struggles as a whole. 

Many things go into losing nine out of 11 games, but for the Jaguars, getting off to a slow start is a significant reason they have not been a good team this season. Every week, the Jaguars fall behind early and have an uphill battle to remain competitive in the game, let alone win it.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson noted that the team must continue to work hard, even though they are not seeing the results they would like. Still, Pederson has kept a positive attitude about everything and looks forward to returning to the drawing board to correct the team's mistakes.

“We’ve got to keep working,” Pederson said. “We’ve got to keep trying to, as a staff, put our players in position to make plays on the field. Ultimately, the players execute the game plan. Again, last week was about trying to find ways to do that. 

“We're going to implement some things and really kind of get back to some things that I think were successful, have been successful for us. Whether it's rhythm, tempo, whatever, to try to get things going. Ultimately, we’ve got to focus as a staff, as players, and just continue to do our jobs.”

The Jaguars' season has all but been decided. At this point, they are playing games to decide what order they will select in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Still, there are plenty of games, and the Jaguars cannot afford to continue looking as poorly coached as they have over the last few weeks. If Pederson and the Jaguars hope to turn the season around, they must change something tangible that they do.

The easiest thing for the Jaguars to change would be their efficiency and scoring in the first quarter. If the Jaguars can figure out how to score once or two in the first quarter, they could win a game or two before the season is over.

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