Jaguars Coach Gives Intriguing Prediction For Week 7

The Jacksonville Jaguars will face an inexperienced rookie quarterback this Sunday for the New England Patriots in search of a must-win. Head couch Doug Pederson explains what needs to be done to leave London a winner against a struggling football team.

Sep 23, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson on the sidelines in the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) will take on arguably one of the NFL's worst offenses this week in London. Head coach Doug Pederson gave his take on the upcoming matchup with the New England Patriots (1-5) and their rookie quarterback making just his second career start.

A pair of five loss teams will duke it out on Sunday morning in the Jaguars second-straight London game. It will likely be a low scoring affair as both teams have had a lot of trouble producing points.

The Patriots have simply not been able to score points this season, averaging the second lowest points per game total in the league (13.8 ppg). It has not been much better for the Jaguars as they have mustered just 18.8 points per game.

Pederson emphasized a strong defensive performance is needed to take advantage of one of the league's worst scoring teams. He also gave a simplistic approach on a way to win.

“Well, it’s important. I think it's as important too, I mean, I think we're scoring 18 or 19 points offensively," Pederson said. "They're looking at it the same way, if we can keep them under 20, first one to 20 might win the game. That's the reality of it. So, it is important defensively to go out and play well and try to minimize the scoring. Then offensively that's our goal. Our goal is to score. So, it's kind of a two-headed monster, but we're up for the challenge.”

It seems safe to say with how these two teams have performed to this point, the first to score 20 points will likely win the contest.

After a fourth-straight loss in Week 5, the Patriots made the switch at quarterback, benching veteran Jacoby Brissett and giving rookie Drake Maye the reigns under center. Maye made his first NFL start in a 20-point loss last week to the Houston Texans. He did a bit of everything his first career start.

Maye threw for 243 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and a lost fumble, showing his youth with three turnovers. He also was the team's leading rusher with 38 yards, carrying the ball five times.

The former 3rd overall pick helped put up the most points his team has scored all season (21) and threw for the most yards from a Patriots quarterback this year. The rookie sparked a bit of confidence in his organization and will start again in London against the Jaguars.

“I went back and watched him again this morning," Pederson said regarding Maye. "There's some really good things on tape. Look, a young player, understandable, he's going to take what he did last week and he's going to improve. I think you're going to see a different quarterback on Sunday, quite frankly. He's got a big arm, he's a smart kid, he's athletic he's tough, he took some shots in that game against Houston the other day and came back. I've been there with young quarterbacks, and you’ve just got to fight through it, and you’ve got to keep working. There are some good things there and he'll learn from last week and be much better in the future.”

For Pederson, this game is one of the biggest as his job security has been questioned after starting 1-5 for the second time in the past three seasons. This will be a career-defining game for the Super Bowl-winning head coach and creating chaos for Maye will be imperative to winning.

Both teams are in desperate need of a win and it will take strong defensive play and a few big scores for the Jaguars to come out on top. They have the quarterback advantage with Trevor Lawrence which will play a major role in a tight game, late in the second half.

If the worst passing defense in the league can find a way to limit the Patriots to under 20 points and keep Maye uncomfortable for all four quarters, the offense should have enough opportunities to score and earn a crucial win in London.

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