What Does Final Month Mean For Future Of Jaguars' Pederson, Baalke?

Could general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson change their fate over the last month of the season?

Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke talks with Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson on the field during the fourth day of the NFL football training camp practice session Saturday, July 27, 2024 at EverBank Stadium's Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] / Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

When it comes to a 3-10 football team, few wins are "big" wins.

But make no mistake about it. Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans was a gigantic lift inside the halls of the Miller Electric Center, with the Jaguars' locker room and staff finally able to breath easy for the first time in a month-and-a-half.

“It feels great to get back in the win column. It’s been a while. Hats off to the players," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the 10-6 win.

"It’s excited, sort of a relief. It’s the excitement, it’s the joy of the work that you put in and you’re finally rewarded for a win. Again, just so happy for the players, the coaches, just hanging in there battling their tails off. Tennessee, that’s a good football team too. They do some really good things. I’m just excited and happy for our guys.”

Even with the season off the rails, Sunday was a good day for the Jaguars. But what does one good day really mean in the grand scheme of things?

That is the question that will have to be posed to Jaguars owner Shad Khan as he reviews his team, its 2024 season and what comes next.

Sure, the Jaguars did some good things on Sunday. Some young players like Brian Thomas Jr., Jarrian Jones and Tank Bigsby all made huge plays. But at the end of the day, it was a 10-6 win over a similarly hapless 3-10 Titans team. Hardly the kind of win that shifts a culture and pulls a team out of the darkness.

That is what the rest of the Jaguars season is truly about. The Jaguars play three teams with three wins or fewer over the final four weeks, including the Titans and New York Jets at home. They also play a Las Vegas Raiders team on the road that is currently the front-runner for the No. 1 pick.

The Jaguars might have a few more good Sundays ahead of them over the next month. But Khan should realize that any positive momentum needs to be viewed in that context. What does a good month against bad teams mean when the Jaguars are winless against playoff teams in 2024?

Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke will eventually have their fates decided by Khan. But Khan would be wise to consider their entire body of work as opposed to focusing on a few good games against other struggling teams.

Perhaps the Jaguars go on a run over the next month that is impressive enough for Khan to want to see more in 2025. But if that is the direction he moves in, he would be wise to not forget what the last season-and-a-half have been like in Jacksonville.

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