Jaguars Sound Off on Costly 4th Down Attempt in Week 1 Loss

What did the Jacksonville Jaguars' coaches and players have to say about the failed 4th-and-1 run in the second half?

Sep 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) runs with the football against Miami Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou (4) during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars have only themselves to blame for their Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Zero second-half points and a Travis Etienne fumble near the end zone are big reasons the Jaguars lost the 20-17 contest, but the offensive issues were summed up by a failed fourth-down attempt.

Facing 4th-and-1 at their own 32-yard line at the start of the final quarter, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson opted to keep his offensive on the field and try to get the first down with Etienne. Etienne was stopped for a loss after the play broke down up front, however, leading to yet another failed drive.

"No, it was trying to stay on the field. Really just wanted to stay on the field. Execute the play, stay on the field. First-and-10, they stopped us, made a play, and then it turned into a good situation because they ended up missing the field goal there. But no, just wanted to stay on the field," Pederson said after the game.

For why exactly the play fell apart, the Jaguars will need to back to the film. And, of course, the primary goal is to not even get to fourth down to begin with.

"I'd have to watch it to know exactly what happened, but it seemed like Jalen Ramsey did a good job of setting the edge there and wasn't what we thought was going to happen, obviously. We had a plan for that play, and that really didn't play out how we thought it would," Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrende said.

"Got to give credit to them. They made some big defensive stops at the end of that game. But we put ourselves in some tough spots. You'd love to go get it on third down and not be in that fourth down situation where you've got to go get that. A lot of stuff to learn from."

Don't expect the Jaguars to stop being aggressive on fourth down because of one stop. It has been a calling card for Pederson throughout his years as a head coach and will continue to be so.

“Yeah, Doug (Pederson) has all the confidence in the world in us to go out there and be able to convert that," Christian Kirk said.

"So as long as he has that trust and we have the conviction to go out there and do it, we have all the belief in the world that that’s the right decision. I think the whole time we were going to go for it.”

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