Why the Jaguars Ability To Win the Hard Way Will Shape Their Postseason Outlook
Down by multiple scores entering the second half, the Los Angeles Chargers appeared to have a tight grip on the hopes of a playoff victory for the young Jacksonville Jaguars. Except they didn’t.
Like against the Ravens and Cowboys before them, these Jaguars rose above unfavorable odds and kept their aspirations for greatness alive. Even down 27, the resilience of the Jacksonville Jaguars showcased itself on the brightest stage as TIAA Bank Field roared in excitement.
Winning the hard way is nothing new for these Jaguars. "Must-win” has defined the second half of the regular season and is even more prevalent in the playoffs, as one loss eliminates all hopes of a Lombardi Trophy.
The Jaguars tilt against the Chiefs on Sunday is expected to be another hard fought battle considering the magnitude of their opponent and the talent the Chiefs possess on both sides of the ball. For the Jags and head coach Doug Pederson, the focus is on not making it harder for themselves then it has to be.
“It seems that way, but I’ll take it as long as we keep winning,” Pederson said when asked about winning games the hard way. “That’s the thing. Sometimes we make it hard because we make it hard on ourselves. Those are the things we’re trying to kind of work through and grow through with this football team.
"It’s just a matter of taking care of our business, and we’ve got to hang onto the football. Trevor (Lawrence) knows that. Some of it is out of our control when the ball is tipped and things like that. Those are out of your hands, but at the same time, we can’t keep doing that. We can’t put ourselves in these types of holes, not now, and really not ever and expect to sustain winning for the long haul.”
The ability to climb out of these holes has been a welcomed positive for the Jaguars as they look to keep momentum rolling, but it cannot become a consistently relied upon occurrence if they want to control their destiny.
“The positive is the fact that we have dug ourselves out of those holes, and we’ve been able to hang in there and keep chipping away as we say, sticking to the game plan, and don’t panic, some of the things we talk about,” Pederson said. “You never want to spot a team 27, especially a good team, and expect to come back and win.”
Regardless of Sunday’s outcome against the Chiefs, the Jaguars resiliency and confidence are traits that’ll bode well for their very bright future. For head coach Doug Pederson, the decisive victory against the Los Angeles Chargers a few days prior confirmed that this team has the tenacity necessary to make a statement.
“I mean, not a whole lot, because we’ve been in that situation before. I will say that being 27 down, you’re scratching your head going, ‘Okay, can we do this?’ There was a lot of belief at halftime that we could,” Pederson said. “The guys felt it and it just showed me again how close this group is, how tight this group is. No matter what adversity or challenges that face us, we’re willing to take them on, to tackle them and overcome them.”
