JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser examines Head Coach Doug Pederson's post-game press conference following the Jaguars’ 18-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns in a 2024 Week 2 game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday
1. Palpable frustration. Pederson showed frustration in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's loss – and with reason. The Jaguars struggled offensively for a second consecutive week, and for a second consecutive week lost on the game's final play. After losing to the Miami Dolphins, 20-17, on a 53-yard field goal in Week 1, the Jaguars lost Sunday when quarterback Trevor Lawrence's 33-yard pass to tight end Brenton Strange fell incomplete with :00 remaining. The Jaguars, who rallied from a 16-3 deficit to pull to within three in the fourth quarter, missed a chance to tie in the fourth quarter when running back D'Ernest Johnson was called for not getting set before the play – negating Lawrence's touchdown pass to wide receiver Christian Kirk. The Jaguars have lost seven of their last eight games since starting last season 8-3. "I'm at a loss," Pederson said. "We've been together for a while now. We shouldn't be playing the way we're playing. We shouldn't be coaching the way we're coaching. I take accountability there. It starts with me. Then it goes to the assistant coaches and players. I just know that we're a better football team than what we played today."
2. Bogged down. The Jaguars, a week after being shut out in the second half against the Dolphins, scored just three points in the first half Sunday. They finished Sunday with one touchdown – a four-yard run by running back Travis Etienne Jr. that pulled them to within 16-10 late in the third quarter. They managed a touchdown and two field goals Sunday with a missed field goal on four possessions inside the Cleveland 20-yard line. "It's not who we are," Pederson said. "Coaches, players, work too hard during the week. That (Cleveland) is a good defense – a really good defense. Probably one of the best in the league. If there's a measuring stick, then we didn't measure up very well today. It's something we've got to look at. There's too much talent, I think. There are signs of it, but just not consistent enough." Pederson said the red-zone offense "comes down to awareness, comes down to just execution on the field, comes down to coaching. There are a lot of things I think we can maybe point a finger at. But it's definitely an area that needs to improve."
3. Sluggish start. The Jaguars in their 2024 regular-season opener started strikingly slow, with the Browns out-gaining them 195-81 and leading 13-3 at halftime. The Browns scored on all three first-half drives, running 16, 12 and eight plays and holding possession for 20:06. "That's something we need to look into and find out why," Pederson said. "We have an opportunity to play a football game. We're blessed to coach and play. You should be excited about stepping on the field and giving everything you have. It's a tough sport. It's something I've got to try to figure out with the guys and see what's going on." The Jaguars played notably better in the final 20 minutes, with 14 of their 18 first downs coming on five drives over the final quarter and a half. "I guess we went a little up-tempo," Pederson said. "We just executed with our backs against the wall."
4. Big down, tough down. The Jaguars, after converting two of 10 third downs and running just 50 offensive players in Week 1, converted three of nine on Sunday. The Jaguars, who ran 55 plays Sunday, were 17th in the NFL converting 38.16 percent last season. "We've definitely got to look at the film and see why," Pederson said. "Third down is an important down. We know they've got some great pass-rushers over there. We just didn't do our part. Maybe it's on us as coaches, we didn't help our guys out enough. We've just got to look at the tape and figure out why."
5. Pederson on how to respond at 0-2: "I don't think you hit the panic button. There's a long season ahead. We've got to figure some things out in a hurry. We've got to coach some things and do some things. Each person has to look at themselves in the mirror, me included. We've got to do better. It's disappointing. It's disappointing because there's glimpses of greatness out there, but it's not consistent enough."
