Jaguars coach Doug Pederson after 1-5 start: ‘We’ve got to change … that culture’

Last updated: 2024/10/14 at 6:08 PM

BigP Published October 14, 2024

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson says he’s trying to stave off a losing culture amid the team’s losing ways.

“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” Pederson said on the team’s postgame show Sunday after a 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears in London, via ESPN. “We’ve got to change. I say we, it’s all of us — coaches, players, everybody. We’ve got to change, right now, that culture. Otherwise, it just gets out of control. We’re on a slippery slope, or right on the cusp of that slope. At some point we’ve got to [say] enough is enough, and you’ve got to have enough pride and figure out a way.”

Pederson clarified those comments by calling the team’s atmosphere a “slippery slope” on Monday. Sunday’s loss was Jacksonville’s 10th in its last 12 games and left players and coaches with what surely will be a long week of reflection and regrouping overseas.

The Jaguars (1-5) have a “home game” against the New England Patriots (1-5) at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

“I don’t want them to feel sort of mentally defeated, if that makes sense,” Pederson said. “Because that’s where the slippery slope comes in. If you feel like you’re going into a game where you don’t have a chance, then you’re not going to have a chance. You’re not going to give yourself an opportunity to win that game.

“We just got to make sure these guys stay mentally positive with each other, stay positive during the week.”

That’s what the season has come to for the Jaguars, who again are essentially eliminated from playoff contention before Halloween.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence made his boldest criticism to date after the game, saying “we can’t be so fragile” when adversity hits. And safety Andre Cisco said he witnessed “a lot of quit” in the blowout. He told WJAX-TV in the locker room that the defense “wasn’t playing as one” after halftime and called it extremely concerning and “dangerous.”

Lawrence said pressing has been a problem, too.

“You don’t have to do more than your job. That’s a big part of it,” Lawrence said. “When one play doesn’t go right … It’s happened a ton in my career where I try to make the play the next time and make it worse because I’m trying to do too much and I’m not just doing my job. I think that’s a big part of it, too.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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