Jacksonville Jaguars Insider Podcast: Instant Reaction to Colts Loss

What do we make of the Jacksonville Jaguars' loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18?

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) pushes off Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback De'Antre Prince (24) as he rushes the ball Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In today's episode of the Jacksonville Jaguars Insider Podcast, we take a look at the Jaguars' Week 18 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

To listen to today's episode, view above.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson also spoke after the loss. Below is a transcript.

Q: On if the game was reflective of the season in a nutshell?

Pederson: “Yeah. Another one-score loss, but it's sort of fitting for the type of year we had to take it into overtime, get a little extra football and still lose by a score. So, listen, we have to – obviously, as a team – we have to learn. We're learning the hard way, but we have to learn how to win and win these close games like this, because this is what the league is about, and we will. Kind of a fitting way to end our season.”

Q: On what this team means to him?

Pederson: “Yeah, these are tough moments, because it's the last time we're going to be together, as a team, taking the field together, things change. Offseason begins, and everything begins to change. And you change for the better, and you try to get better, you try to improve. But for the moment, right now, appreciate every one of those guys in there. They worked their tails off. They worked hard for me. They didn't quit on me, they didn't quit on each other and they battled to the end. So, these are hard moments, because there's obviously no more football for the season.”

Q: On what he feels about his job status right now?

Pederson: “I'll find out this week. It's hard to speculate right now. Emotions are running high, obviously, but I hope that I'm still here honestly. I feel like we've got the makings of being a good football team, and our main guys – one, need to get healthy, and then two, we've got to continue to work hard. So, I'm optimistic, and hopefully that happens.”

Q: On if he thinks the team could have a quick turnaround in terms of getting back to winning as in previous seasons?

Pederson: “I mean, I think it kind of has to, honestly. The turnaround has to be quick, it has to be fast, and we’ve got to do it the right way. And that's continuing to work and just build the pieces and put together a strong football team heading into next year.”

Q: On if he thinks the losses in one-score games comes down to certain plays or rather an ineffective gameplan?

Pederson: “No, I don't think that. I think, obviously, we set out with a plan, and then sometimes that gets a little derailed with injury as the season goes and offensively, it affected us. We missed a lot of our weapons on offense. Quite honestly, it's two years in a row our quarterback hasn't been healthy, and that's something we've got to make sure that he stays healthy, and he will. He knows that. He sees it and understands that. But I think the plan too, to play some of these young guys that we did, some of them had to fill in some big, big shoes. I mean, you look at (CB) Jarrian (Jones). He maybe wasn't going to be penciled as the starter right away, but he got thrown in there right away and played a lot. You can look at (DT) Maason (Smith) and (DT) Jordan (Jefferson) and all those guys, BT (WR Brian Thomas Jr.), all those young players just stepping up and playing. Because that's what's going to make us a better team moving forward, playing that many guys.”

Q: On what he foresees for QB Trevor Lawrence going into the 2025 season?

Pederson: “I'm excited. He's excited. He's looking forward, obviously, to the offseason. And really, I think overall, learning from this year and taking it another step further and getting better himself and getting better as a team. I know he's excited and really, really looking forward to the opportunity to get back out on the field when he can and sort of righting the ship and getting us back on track.”

Q: On what he makes of how the season unfolded with the team’s confusion and what went wrong?

Pederson: “I mean, those are all things that now obviously I get a chance to sit back and take a look at and evaluate. I think that's what needs to take place. And then you can probably put a finger on the whys. Obviously, we're all in it together. The accountability is everybody and be able to get that. But those are, whatever comes out of that, that's what we’ve got to fix, right? That’s what we’ve got to fix moving forward.”

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