Doug Pederson and the Jaguars are trying to “stay positive” despite their three-game losing streak and 2-8 season.
Jacksonville did everything but live up to winning expectations in a preseason team meeting, opened the year with his sixth 0-4 finish in franchise history and moved into first place in the until week 11.
However, Pederson hasn't lost hope yet. He believes the Jaguars still have room to turn their campaign around.
“I think our goals and everything are right in front of us,” Pederson said Monday. “Despite the mistakes and losses, of course.”
In Pederson's eyes, the Jaguars still have a chance to maintain balance in an AFC South that only has one winning team, the Texans (6-4). Jacksonville will face Houston again and the Indianapolis Colts (4-6) after beating them in Week 5, as well as the Tennessee Titans (2-7) twice.
Jacksonville will also face the New York Jets (3-7) in Week 15 and the Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) in Week 16.
Should the Jaguars manage to turn their year around, it would be no different than the club's run to the AFC Divisional Round of the 2022-23 playoffs, when Jacksonville won its division at 9-8 with a five-game winning streak.
“You show them where we are. “You show them our division, you show them what's still on the schedule and you try to stay positive,” Pederson said, explaining his approach to giving the Jaguars confidence. “I still feel like it’s a great opportunity for us as a team. We have to figure out how to win a game.”
What gives Pederson confidence is the performance the Jaguars have seen in their losses, six of which were decided by five points or fewer.
He pointed out that Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker essentially called a game-winning penalty on Sunday as an example of the team's fight.
Walker was charged with unnecessary roughness on a 3rd-and-7 six-yard run by running back Aaron Jones. Walker aggressively tried to knock the ball out of Jones' hand and force a takeaway deep in Minnesota territory with 52 seconds left in the game while Jacksonville trailed 12-7.
Pederson praised Walker's desire to make a potentially game-winning play, on the Jacksonville defense's 80th play of the game no less.
“It's a crazy business and it can quickly turn the other way for us and quickly become positive. But the boys didn't look at all. They put in the time during the week,” Pederson said.
“It is difficult. It hurts the boys because you can see how much they put into it. And then they don't get rewarded for it. Six defeats by one point, six games. It is difficult. That's hard. Sometimes we make it difficult. But the boys see it, like I said. You get it. We are all in this together and trying to fix it and move on.”
The odds are not confident that Jacksonville will suffer its seventh loss of the season by a point on Sunday in Detroit, with the Lions currently factored in about the Jaguars in Week 11.
With Jacksonville in Week 12 and Khan's mega yacht Last week there was a lot of speculation about Pederson's future with the Jaguars.
A surprise win over Detroit could, at least temporarily, dispel any notion that Pederson's end in Jacksonville is near and perhaps give the Jaguars the spark they've been looking for this year.
