Why the Jaguars' Nightmare Season Has Shocked Them to Their Core

The Jacksonville Jaguars are falling apart at the seams at 2-8. Where can they go from here?

Nov 10, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson looking on from the sidelines against the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images / Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

If you had told the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday morning that they would hold Justin Jefferson to under 60 yards, would pick off Sam Darnold three different times and would not score a touchdown, the Jaguars likely would have expected a potentially season-changing win.

Instead, the Jaguars suffered perhaps the most maddening and frustrating loss of the 2024 season yet.

This time, in came in the form of a 12-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings that saw the Jaguars lose their third game in a row. It was the third week in a row the Jaguars had lost by five points or fewer, and the Jaguars' sixth loss in a one-score game in 2024.

That inability to win when games come down to the wire has haunted the Jaguars all season. Now, it has doomed a coaching staff and a front office, shocking a team with playoff expectations down to their very core.

"Never expected to be here. We had five or six games, they're one-score games. It's hard. As a team, as coaches, we're making it hard, too hard," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the loss. "And the guys are frustrated, and they should be; and they're angry, and they should be because we all are. But we have to channel it in a positive way and get ready for another one.”

This time, the loss came as a result of an anemic Jaguars offense missing its star quarterback. Despite the Vikings giving the Jaguars chance after chance to take over the game, the Mac Jones-led offense sputtered on all but one drive.

“He's hurting. He's taking it hard. I just told him, it's again it's not about one guy. This is a team deal and offensively we didn't do enough around Mac -- and I'm not -- listen, it takes 11 guys," Pederson said about Jones.

And for what felt like the first time this season, the Jaguars' offense completely and utterly let down the defense. Normally, the two sides have taken turns. This time, the Jaguars' defense forced three turnovers that saw the offense score zero points off of.

"I feel like we lost a battle, good battle, good fight but you want to come out on top. So, how do I feel? Pretty upset. Got to find a way to win these close games," Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun said.

"Same message all the way through the game, even when it gets close, low-scoring games, there's little plays you've got to win that we didn't win in order to help our team win. So, we've got to find that all the way through the game."

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