The post-game news conference held by Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson after the team’s 30-12 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Sunday’s 2023 Week 16 game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, is examined by senior writer John Oehser.
Watch and see.Unsurprisingly, quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s health was the main topic of discussion at Pederson’s post-game press conference. Lawrence completed the concussion protocol on Saturday and started his 49th straight game on Sunday to begin his career. After suffering a right shoulder injury late in the third quarter during the Jaguars’ first scoring drive, Lawrence departed the game early in the fourth quarter. On Sunday, he completed 17 of 29 passes for 211 yards and a score with two interceptions. Lawrence will have another assessment on Sunday or Monday, according to Pederson.
According to Pederson, “at the time, it was severe enough he couldn’t continue.” “That’s all I know.” After the game, Pederson stated that, after Lawrence cleared protocol, he had never thought of not playing him on Sunday. He added that prior to Lawrence’s shoulder injury, he had not given removal from the game any thought.
A frustrating day.After Sunday’s defeat, it was evident from seeing and hearing Pederson that the head coach was upset, and for good cause. After an 8-3 start to the season, the Jaguars have already dropped four straight games. Although they are still first in the AFC South, their early-season winning streak of seven out of eight games is long gone. The Jaguars had been outscored 53-7 over the previous three quarters when they found themselves behind 30-0 late in the third quarter on Sunday. It’s not fair to blame the entire loss on the quarterback, even though Lawrence skipped practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to the concussion protocol, according to Pederson.
Everyone other worked on their skills. It wasn’t good enough as a team. There was no sense of urgency. Our offensive execution was lacking. The run game and the increasing number of turnovers have an overall negative impact on the process. Not just one guy is involved. The players, coaches, and I are all in this together.”
A crisis?The Houston Texans (8-7) lost to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, while the Indianapolis Colts (8-7) lost to the Atlanta Falcons. Despite the four-game losing streak, the Jaguars (8-7) are still atop the AFC South. Compared to the Colts and Texans, the Jaguars enjoy a tiebreaker advantage.
They will win the AFC South title for the second time in a row if they triumph in their next two games, which are at home against the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 and away from the Tennessee Titans in Week 18. “To the question of whether this was a crisis point, Pederson replied, ‘Yes,'” “A slump of four games? A crisis? We still have our objectives to pursue. Nothing has changed there, but we need to find a way to keep this dam from collapsing.”
Feeling of immediacy.In addition to falling down early on Sunday, the Jaguars’ numerous offensive and defensive blunders allowed the Buccaneers to extend their lead.
The Jaguars trailed 20-0 at halftime and 30-0 in the fourth quarter before wide receiver Calvin Ridley caught two late touchdowns, one from backup quarterback C.J. Beathard in the fourth quarter and one from Lawrence in the third. The Jaguars committed four turnovers and forced none. The Bucs’ lone three touchdowns were the result of all three of Lawrence’s turnovers. “You’re hoping for a victory,” Pederson stated. “You want to see that level of urgency from the men when they enter the game. I think highly of Tampa. They arrived prepared to have fun. In their division, they are competing for the same goals that we are. It must hold significance for each and every individual. I simply didn’t think it meant as much to us as it did to them today.”
Sunday was frustrating.The four turnovers by the Jaguars They have had four giveaways in a game on Sunday for the third time in the previous seven games. They also committed four turnovers in their losses to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10 and the Cleveland Browns in Week 14. This season, they have committed 28 turnovers. Pederson declared, “I can’t go out there and do it.” Press Taylor, the offensive coordinator, is unable to perform. Mike [Caldwell], the defensive coordinator, is unable to. The players must eventually possess sufficient pride to keep it intact. They are not attempting to turn the ball over, please listen. However, there needs to be a pressing need for ball security in order to safeguard the football. It’s not there at the moment.
Pederson: “The takeaway is that we still have our goals in front of us.” That’s where everything is still at. The divide is obviously somewhat ambiguous. We have to concentrate on one game at a time, but we kind of opened that door. That is our plan of action. We have numerous issues to resolve.”
