REPORT: An Alarming Explanation for the Jaguars' Woes

The Jacksonville Jaguars were undoubtedly one of the worst teams in the National Football League this season. The Jaguars routinely beat themselves, especially early in the season.

Then, they faced a brutal stretch of games that few teams would have done better against. All of these things combined to make for a disappointing season for the Jaguars, who recently fired former head coach Doug Pederson.

There was plenty of blame for the Jaguars' issues this season, hence Pederson's firing. However, Paul Bretl of USA TODAY dug deeper and found reasons other than Pederson that led to the team's demise.

"With the offseason here for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the focus quickly shifts to what's next," Bretl said. "However, looking back at what happened in 2024 can help guide us through what might be coming. To help with that, let's take a look back at where the Jaguars ranked as a team compared to the rest of the NFL in several key statistical categories.

"The value of this is that it can provide some insights around what was working and can be built upon moving forward, along with what needs to be addressed. With so many stats and metrics out there, it could have been easy to go overboard with information. However, in an effort to be concise while still highlighting pertinent information, I boiled down my stat selection to the basics of football: run game performance, passing game performance, pressures, turnovers, third down and red zone success, and points."

According to Bretl, the Jaguars finished the regular season 26th in points per game and 27th in points per game allowed. Jacksonville finished last in yards per pass attempt allowed and 21st in yards per pass attempt.

The Jaguars finished the regular season 29th in turnover differential, 30th in pressure rate by defense, and 25th in defensive third down conversion rate. Most notably, the Jaguars' offensive line ranked first in pressure rate allowed.

Jacksonville has already begun taking the necessary steps to jumpstart its turnaround. In addition to finding a new head coach, the Jaguars must address the apparent needs on their roster, as their issues had much more to do with the players on the field than coaching.

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