Jaguars Showing Signs of a Positive Team Culture Following a Unified Week 17 Win

Dec 30, 2024 at 04:26 PM

John Oehser

Jaguars Senior Writer

JACKSONVILLE – This was a good sign, a good step.

Head Coach Doug Pederson described the Jaguars' latest victory that way, and said winning in Sunday's regular-season finale could have the same feel.

"It would mean we finished the season the right way; that would be something to really hang our hats on as we move forward," he said Monday.

Pederson, speaking a day after the Jaguars’ 20-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans in the 2024 regular-season home finale, spoke extensively of the grit shown by the Jaguars in recent weeks as a disappointing 2024 season approaches an end.

"It's a team that continues to compete," he said. "It's a team that continues to fight to the end."

Pederson, too, cited Sunday as an example of a strong culture despite a 4-12 record and losses in seven of the last nine games.

"Winning has a part in [culture]," he said. "I don't think it's everything, though. Take a look at our season. Not what we wanted. You would look at us and go, 'They don't play like a 4-12 team.' They're still fighting to the end."

The Jaguars have lost nine games by a touchdown or less, winning two of four games – both by one score over the 3-13 Titans – after being eliminated from AFC South contention with five regular-season games remaining.

"Guys are still fighting, guys are still battling, they're playing for one another, playing with a lot of pride," Pederson said. "You saw that Sunday."

The Jaguars on Sunday made big plays late, with quarterback Mac Jones' 11-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. giving them a 20-10 lead and second-year safety Antonio Johnson defensing Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph's potential game-tying pass at the goal-line with :09 remaining.

Pederson called the game "a great example of everybody doing their jobs and executing."

"Was it perfect? No, it wasn't perfect," he said. "At the same time, I thought both sides of the ball played well. That's what you have to look at. That's something we can lean on and teach from moving forward."

The Jaguars, after back-to-back 9-8 seasons that included a 2022 AFC South title, started 2024 0-4 – with Pederson on Monday saying of the seasonal, "I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me."

"I really felt coming out of [2024 Training] Camp that we had an opportunity to be a really good competitive football team," he said. "I'm not saying you're playing for the Super Bowl, but I think you're playing for playoff spot, playing for the AFC South title – that you're competitive that way, that you're one of the top teams in the AFC.

"To see where we are and the struggles we've had, it's disappointing. Everybody's disappointed. Everybody feels it. If you're going to put your hands on something, you want it to be positive, you want it to be better than when you started. Three years in, I still feel like we've created something here that is positive and it is heading in the right direction.

"I say that and it's tough because then it's, 'Why doesn't it translate on the field? Why don't these losses translate into wins?' That's why you keep coaching. That's why you keep playing, to figure this thing out."

Pederson on Monday also called long-term continuity "the only way to get it fixed."

"You're in it together," he said. "You know exactly how people think, how they operate. It would be different if you saw people throw in the towel a month ago. That's a different set of circumstances. I just don't feel that here. It was evident [Sunday] by the way the guys fought and battled right to the end, the joy in the locker room at the end, the camaraderie, the high fives, the hugs.

"That's not a team that's quitting. That's not a team throwing in a white towel or waving a white flag. It's a team trying to work its way out of a hole that they've dug."

NOTABLE

The Jaguars with a road victory Sunday over the Indianapolis Colts in the regular-season finale can finish with a 4-2 AFC South record for a third consecutive season. "It says we need to do better outside the division, quite honestly," Pederson said. "It would be great, but at the same time, knowing the disappointment that we've had this season, that overshadows the fact that we'd be 4-2."

NOTABLE

Starting right guard Brandon Scherff on Sunday reaggravated a shoulder injury that has limited him in practice at times this season, Pederson saud. He was replaced briefly in the first half by Blake Hance, leaving again with a bleeding nose before finishing the game. Pederson said the Jaguars sustained no other significant injuries Sunday. "Everybody else came out relatively clean," Pederson said. "Just our normal bumps and bruises – quite honestly, knock on wood, one of our healthier games."