Doug Pederson: Jaguars ‘Got To Feel a Sense of Urgency’ During Losing Streak

The Jaguars are in clear and present danger of missing the playoffs, and Doug Pederson wants them to start feeling the pressure.

In 2022, the Jacksonville Jaguars had to play for their lives week in and week out to have a chance at making the playoffs. 

Despite an 8-3 start, the 2023 season is starting to look and feel strikingly similar. 

Just under a month ago, the Jaguars had a two-game lead in the AFC South, a host of backup and journeyman quarterbacks on the schedule, and all of the reasons in the world to feel like another playoff trip was imminent. 

Instead, the Jaguars are now riding a three-game losing streak after a trio of self-inflicted and mistake-filled losses, leaving them in a three-way tie in the AFC South and struggling to keep pace with a few other potential wildcard teams.

“I don’t know if you ever want to feel desperate. I think you’ve got to feel a sense of urgency, you’ve got to feel like your back is against the wall a little bit," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Wednesday. 

"It’s just time to go play. I don’t think you ever want to be desperate, because then, you do things out of character."

After a 6-2 start to the season and a five-game winning streak, the Jaguars looked like they were playing their best football before the bye week. Since then, the Jaguars are 2-4 and have themselves to blame for most, if not all, of their losses in that span.

“When you really look at it, there’s been times where you go back to the Cincinnati game. We had a chance to win that game, we didn’t, but we had a chance to win it with the kick late in the game and then the kick to win the game," Pederson said. 

"Cleveland, four turnovers in that game. Miscommunication gave up some explosions offensively by them. Then this past week, same thing. In each game, you see a lot of good things happen, but it’s the negatives that are maximized. Those are the glaring issues. That’s what’s kept us from feeling better about ourselves at this stage. It’s a mentality, it’s a mindset that sometimes enough is enough and you’ve just got to take pride in the opportunities you get.”

The question now is what Pederson and the Jaguars can do to reverse course. Pederson's teams have shown an uncanny ability to respond before, and this is only the second losing streak under Pederson that stretches past two games. 

But for the last three weeks, the Jaguars haven't played playoff football. And the fact that there are several reasons and culprits does little to inspire confidence moving forward.

“It’s a little both. It’s a physical game and you’re going to get beat. That’s just football, you’re going to get beat from time to time. I think it’s the mental from the standpoint of just understanding your role, understanding your job," Pederson said. 

"Look, every offensive player out there, skill position guy, they know they’re not supposed to turn the ball over. Duh. To us, that’s the most prized possession on the field, the football. We know that. It’s a little more concentration, it’s a little more focus, it’s a little more attention to detail when you’re in traffic and out in space, the ball security, it’s where it becomes second nature for our guys. The physical part of it, guys are going to get beat. It happens. They make plays, we’re going to make plays. It’s just the ebb and flow of the game.”