Nick Foles Stresses the Jaguars Can’t Start Pressing at 4–6
When a football team has playoff aspirations but sit at 4-6 through 10 games, their backs are theoretically against the wall. The room for error is non-existent and every game is the definition of a must-win game.
After the Jacksonville Jaguars fell 33-13 to the Indianapolis Colts in a critical AFC South game Sunday, their backs firmly began to hit the wall. The team needs to be perfect over the next six games to have any hopes of turning this season into a meaningful one.
When it comes to situations like the one Jacksonville is in, the theory is some may get desperate for a win and begin to press themselves to make a play. But starting quarterback Nick Foles doesn't think this is the route to go. Instead, he wants his team to remain focused on the task in front of them and not look six weeks ahead.
“I think the big thing is don’t press," Foles said after Sunday's loss. "I think it’s easy to press in this situation and think the sky is falling and the world is over. It’s not. We’re blessed to play a game. The big thing for the guys right now is go home. You have a family at home. You have a wife, go love her and go be with her. If you have kids, go be with your kids. That’s part of life."
Foles explained the entire locker room needs to display leadership as they look at where the team is and where to go from here. He knows the margin of error is small, but he thinks the locker room needs to be critical of themselves during film review while at the same time not panicking.
"I think the big thing is we can’t press. We are 4-6. That is the situation," Foles said. "But, we can’t win six games at once. We’re going to have our opportunity to look at this game, improve on this game next week and then we’re going to prepare for the next game. It’s as simple as that.”
When a team gets handled the way the Jaguars did on Sunday, with the Colts bullying them for four quarters and running away with the game easy, it can show many the true character of the team. As Foles would go on to explain, how the Jaguars play moving forward will show just how resilient of a team Jacksonville is.
"You lose a game and get beat pretty good and it’s like, ‘How can a team bounce back?’ Well, the guys in (the) locker room, their personalities and who they are is going to dictate that," Foles said. "This next week is a big week for us. We’ll get back, watch some film and do what we’ve got to do to get better.”
Foles isn't shying away from how the Jaguars performed Sunday. He knows the entire team, himself included, failed to play well enough to give the team a chance to win. But as he would go on to explain, he has been through tough losses before and he knows how to handle the outcries afterward.
"I think my big focus will be watching the film and I know that every little detail when you lose will be brought out," he said. "I played in Philly for a little while, things are going to be brought up. The key is not to really listen to it, but also to know it’s there and be aware of it."
As the Jaguars try to turn their season around behind the arm of Foles over the next six weeks, his leadership will be paramount. Whether the Jaguars begin to press and how it affects the team will be worth monitoring, but as of right now it does not seem like the Jaguars' leader thinks the locker room needs to start panicking.
