How the Jaguars Proved Their Mettle, Toughness in Win Over Titans

Though their playoff odds are slim, the Jacksonville Jaguars refuse to go down without a fight.

Earlier in the season, this young team was one that was doubted for their late-game ability, being on the receiving end of crushing defeats. Since the Week 11 bye, the Jaguars have flipped that narrative in their quest to push into the playoff race.

Head Coach Doug Pederson noted that the composure from such a young roster is a primary factor in their late season success.

“I like the way this team hangs together,” Pederson said on Monday.

“There’s not a lot of panic or finger pointing on the sidelines. Guys just tighten up and understand their roles and their jobs and make the necessary adjustments on the sideline or at halftime, and again, there’s no panic and no quit. Stick to the game plan, trust it. We’ve been able to string some wins together because of that, so that’s really good to see from a young team.”

In situations that prove overwhelming for younger teams, these Jaguars are showing that they are completely unflappable. The result is playing meaningful games in December for the first time since 2017, the year they went all the way to the AFC Championship.

“That’s why you get into this business, is to win games, but when you look at the big picture of things, I didn’t know necessarily if we were going to be in this position or not,” Pederson said.

“Obviously, it could be better, as we know. We are where we are because of our own doing, but it’s one of the things I keep challenging our football team with is you want to be playing meaningful games in December and January. The last two for us have been meaningful, obviously, with Baltimore, Detroit, Tennessee, and now moving forward, we have the Cowboys this week.

"They are 10-3 and they are one of the top teams in the NFC. They’re playing really well and coming off a good win for them this weekend. It’s a great opportunity for our team. I want our guys to experience these moments. We hope one day that if things go well, that we are playing hopefully in the postseason and all that, but these are the moments that you want to be in and see where your team actually is against really good opponents.”

While playoffs are not completely out of the question, the Jaguars strides this season are light years above the production from the Urban Meyer dumpster fire and previous seasons following their 2017 playoff appearance. For Head Coach Doug Pederson, the approach for the Jaguars continues to be a week-to-week one.

“No, I really don’t, but I do want to show the team kind of where we are and what’s in front of us and what’s kind of at stake,” Pederson said when asked about mentioning the playoffs to the team.

“I think it’s my job to kind of keep those goals in front of us, but I want us to focus on this week. I want us to get better this week. This is a good football team, again, a well-coached football team that’s playing really well in that division and obviously playing well in the NFC, so our work will be cut out for us in practice this week. I don’t want to move too far forward.”

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