How the Same Frustrating Mistakes Came Back to Bite Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars lost another game due to their own mistakes. They again could not get out of their own way.

Dec 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson walks on the field before the start of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars season has been plagued with injuries, turnovers, and overall poor play on both sides of the ball for nearly the entire season. Those same tendencies showed up against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

While injuries are inevitable, and there is not much teams can do at this point in the season to avoid them, the Jaguars still turned the ball over twice in a game decided by less than a touchdown. One of those turnovers came with the Jaguars in scoring position just before halftime, essentially taking points off the board.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson noted that the team's struggles are not due to a lack of willpower or effort. It is simply a matter of the Jaguars' inability to correct fixable mistakes. Even with the number of young players the Jaguars are featuring, Jacksonville's continued struggles with the same issues are perplexing.

"Yeah, you kind of summed it up," Pederson said. "You're right, it's not for the lack of effort, physicality, all that. Those guys do play hard. But the mistakes, penalties, things that just held us back all season. I think  as coaches, players, it's the frustrating part. Until we get that corrected, obviously there's going to be a lot of long days. We've got to get it fixed."

"I'm sure there's some. I'm sure when a bad play happens or a penalty and it sets you back a little bit, I think maybe there's a little bit – where we are in our season, I'm sure that creeps in. Guys are human. They're going to feel that. They're going to feel that emotion. But it's mental toughness. It's the grind. It's the grit, determination. And the guys show it, and they have shown it, but we just haven't been able to overcome some of the setbacks."

Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones agrees the Jaguars' most pressing issues are the problems they continue to bring upon themselves.

"Yeah, for sure. I mean, you just have to understand that that's the NFL," Jones said. "I think almost all the games go to this situation, and how can we just not be in that situation? I think, just a lot of self-inflicted errors. And it always comes down to one play. And you wish the result would be different."

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