Jaguars Focusing on This Critical Area Heading into Buffalo

The winless Jacksonville Jaguars could legitimately start the season 0-4, unless they fix some key areas.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) talks with head coach Doug Pederson during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Browns defeated the Jaguars 18-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 0-3 on the season and are scheduled to face one of the highest-scoring offenses and best overall teams in the National Football League on Monday Night Football.

If the Jaguars want to avoid the worst start possible to what they thought was a promising season, they know they will have to get better in multiple areas, as small mistakes have been the reason they have not won a game yet.

Although the Jaguars’ offense undoubtedly needs more help than their defense, Coach Doug Pederson noted that both the offense and defense have struggled on third down.

Against the Miami Dolphins, the Jaguars’ offense only converted on 20 percent of their third down attempts while the Dolphins converted on 50 percent of theirs. Against the Cleveland Browns, the Jaguars converted on three of their nine third-down attempts.

While the defense only allowed the Browns to convert on two of their 14 third down attempts, they converted all three of their fourth down attempts. 

“I think you have to, one, third-down, you’ve got to stay on the field,” Pederson said. “Which means first and second down become important. That’s the obvious. Defensively, you’ve got to try to find a way to get off the field. You can’t have 16 and 11-play drives, I think, like last week, and you’ve just got to try to find ways to get off the field. There’s got to be that balance between the two. 

“Then, you’ve got to score. You’ve got to score red-zone touchdowns and not kick field goals. I think those are all things that can factor in when you’re talking about different play counts and trying to get your rep count up and things like that. Take aside or take out all your two-minute stuff and things like that, just your normal pace of plays. You want them to be up, so ball control. Having the ability to run the football becomes important.”

The Jaguars will have to play their best football on Monday night if they hope to stop what is one of the best teams in the NFL. The Bills have scored an average of nearly 33 points per game and excel in many areas the Jaguars struggle in.

Pederson and his coaching staff must prepare the team for the challenge ahead.

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