The Lions delivered their luck to the Jaguars on Sunday, a 52-6 victory in which Detroit scored touchdowns on its first seven drives while Jacksonville made just two field goals in 60 minutes.
Find everything Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the game below.
On what Pederson said to the Jaguars in the locker room after the loss:
DOUG PEDERSON: “It's hard to find words because everyone is so disappointed, frustrated and angry. It's the emotion of how much you put into the week and then you play like we did, so it's just frustrating. Our break obviously comes at the right time. Our boys need a break, they need to refresh themselves and recharge their batteries. Coaches, players, but I think we need to take the first part of the week and really think and study again as coaches to see what was good and what wasn't. So that's the big opportunity we have. There are still six games left and it will be exciting because most of them, I think four of the six, are division games and there is still a chance there.”
If Pederson thinks the Jaguars' defense is exhausted:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I feel like it's been a long season, eleven games, obviously two weeks in London, travel and so on. That's what I did and that's what I'm doing and I think the boys need a break. But I'm sure if you ask them, they probably feel tired. You’re feeling a little drained and need to freshen up and get going.”
If Pederson thinks this is his last game as Jaguars coach:
DOUG PEDERSON: “You know what, I can't control this and you know – listen, I've been in this league a long time and if it's going to happen, of course it's going to happen, but at the same time I still have a job to do, namely to prepare myself for a good divisional opponent here in two weeks.”
On whether Pederson expects the coaching staff to change during the bye week:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I don’t know yet. Something I have to think about, and it's just – it's hard. I think it's hard to boil everything down to one person. I think coaches have to look at themselves, we have to look – I have to start there, look at myself and of course the staff and what are we doing, how are we preparing our players and then the same goes for the players too, not true? You have to look at yourself and be critical of yourself and then make the changes and corrections we need to get better. So, I’ll work through a few things and – but I’m glad we have the bye now.”
How powerful the Lions offense was:
DOUG PEDERSON: “It's a good team, yes, it's running. They play well. [Lions QB] Jared [Goff]'s playing really well and you can see these teams really coming together, all three phases playing well. So, credit something [Lions Head] trainer [Dan] Campbell did it and really got those guys to buy in and play well.”
On Pederson's expectations for the rest of the season:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I mean, that possibility is always there, but I don't think so, not with this group. I think this group will continue to respond and do the things necessary to prepare for a football game. I didn’t – I never felt that with this group and I don’t expect it.”
On whether Pederson feels like the Lions broke the Jaguars' hearts or if the defense was just exhausted:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Honestly, I think it’s the latter. I think the fact that we've been on the field on defense for far too long over the last four weeks and that's a combination of offense has to play its part, which hasn't been possible before. We didn't manage to stay on the field and get points and we have to pay attention to that there too. But I think there’s some of the fatigue from playing a lot of snaps over the last few weeks.”
On Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence having a good chance to play after the bye week:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I mean, we’ll see. We'll see how he goes this week and where he stands. Of course I won't commit at the moment. We still have a long way to go, but we'll see. We’ll see how he goes this week and we have time, so we’ll figure it out.”
On whether the first two weeks of the Jaguars' season set the tone for the rest of the season:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, I think I look at it and I've looked at it and I've thought about it and sometimes it's interesting how one or two games here or there can kind of change the course of a season. However, this is so early in the season that you still have time to fix the problem. So it's hard to say that it was just like that, but some of the mistakes that are still being made just need to be fixed, need to be corrected. But again, it's not a lack of effort or physicality or anything like that. We just need – this team needs a break.”
What the Lions defense did to keep the Jaguars offense out of the end zone:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Nothing, they just played their game plan. They just played their defense, it's good defense. They played fast today and they did a good job and we got into the high red zone, they did a good job keeping us to three there a couple of times. But they just played their deal.”
