Jaguars' Doug Pederson Explains Mac Jones' Odd Play vs. Jets

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones undoubtedly had his best game as a Jaguar in Sunday's 32-25 loss to the New York Jets, but it wasn't without its few blemishes.

While Jones led the Jaguars to their highest scoring output in over a month, there was a chance for the Jaguars to turn one of their early red-zone trips into a touchdown as opposed to a field goal.

Faced with a 2nd-and-5 from the Jets' five-yard line, Jones left the pocket looking for an open receiver. He drifted to the right sideline and was soon met by Jets defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. But instead of throwing the ball away, Jones simply stepped out of bounds and took a seven-yard loss to create a 3rd-and-12.

lol Mac Jones pic.twitter.com/EvRjeygx5f
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) December 15, 2024

The play became something of a social media firestorm by halftime, and Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson revealed his feelings on the play on Monday.

“Yeah, we’ve got to dive into the weeds in that one a little bit more. Really, because of where it was on the field, it was not a play that was going to hurt you as much because then you still had a third-down play," Pederson said.

"Ended up kicking a field goal there, got three points. Sometimes, don’t get caught up in the emotion of the game sometimes and possibly throw it away or whatever, find a guy. It didn’t hurt us in that situation which was OK. The other one earlier on, where there was a penalty in the end zone when he took the long sack on that one. Obviously, saw the flag thrown there, so that one was nullified, but just the awareness of the situation.”

It is hard to agree that the play didn't hurt the Jaguars since it turned a potential 3rd-and-5 into a 3rd-and-12, but it is also harder to argue that Jones didn't make up for the play with several pivotal scrambles throughout the contest.

"It's been an up-and-down year. But that's your job as a backup quarterback to be in there getting ready to play," Jones said on Sunday.

"We had some guys injured this year. I feel like the young guys have stepped up and made plays. And to hang with a good team like that, I mean, it was good, but I want to win. Everybody wants to win. We'll find ways to do that these next three.”

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