Is Doug Pederson's Shot at the Fans a Wise Move at 2-8?

Did Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson make a miscalculation with his comments after Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings?

Nov 10, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson watches a replay against the Minnesota Vikings during the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has not endeared himself much to Duval's loyal fanbase in 2024.

Firstly, the Jaguars' 2-8 record despite preseason expectations of a playoff run has left the base wounded and looking for the team to make some kind of change to ensure there is no repeat in 2025 and beyond.

With the Jaguars 3-13 in their last 16 games under Pederson -- the worst record in the NFL in that span -- the fans are rightfully already disappointed in the team's on-field product.

That is why Pederson made a grave miscalculation in the wake of the Jaguars' 12-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. When asked what went wrong on the team's final offensive play, which resulted in an interception from quarterback Mac Jones, Pederson shut down and coldly told the local media and, by extension, the fanbase that they simply would not get it.

"I'm not going to go through the details of the play because you guys wouldn't figure it out. But we'll look at the tape tomorrow and we'll make those corrections," Pederson said.

What Pederson seemed to not understand is that when he is speaking to the media, he is also talking to same Jaguars fans who support his team each and every Sunday. The same fans that expected a winning season in 2024. The same fans who were told this was the best team in franchise history before the season began.

It is those same fans who have instead sat through a nightmarish, mistake-filled 2-8 season that has seen the Jaguars blow six different games in one-score loss fashion. The same fans who saw Pederson's offense not even crack 150 yards on Sunday, in a game that went down in franchise history books as the fifth-fewest yards in team history.

It wasn't a question that was meant to paint Pederson in bad light or push him into a corner. It was a fair question from a respected member of the local media. A question meant to give more insight and information to fans, so they didn't have to make unfounded assumptions of why the Jaguars lost a game in which they recorded three interceptions and didn't allow a single touchdown.

The question was fair game, but Pederson used the moment to remind the media and fans that he knows better. He is the smartest guy in the room, and they just wouldn't get it. Even at 2-8, Pederson believed he held that trump card over the media and the fans.

Pederson, of course, was wrong. The fans deserve better out of him on the field, and they deserved better off of it. The play, of course, wasn't even as complicated as he made it sound out to be. He went into detail on the play a day after making it seem like a state secret that media and fans were foolish to want to be privy to.

"It looks like he gets bumped. If he did, yes, because of where the ball ended up. Because we had a post route and a corner route, kind of a combination there," Pederson said on Monday.

"It looked like it could’ve easily gotten—even on tape it was hard to see—you’d have to go back and watch the T.V. copy obviously, but it definitely affected, I think, the trajectory of where the ball ended up.”

That is all Pederson had to say on Sunday, when it was already clear to all who saw the play what exactly happened.

Instead, Pederson took his frustration out on the people who should really be frustrated and looking for answers -- the fans.

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