JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Sally from Jacksonville
Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson said in his postgame press conference he is "at a loss" as to why the Jags have lost the last two games. If our head coach is at a loss with 15 games remaining, shouldn't we (the fans and players) be concerned?
Of course fans should be concerned. The Jaguars are 0-2 entering a Monday Night Football game against the unbeaten Buffalo Bills in Week 3 – and they have lost two games they could have won. They looked sloppy, listless and disorganized offensively in the second of these two losses – 18-13 to the Cleveland Browns. They are capable of playing better. They can win against pretty much any team – including a very good Bills team – if they make big plays in key situations. They are capable of playing their way into contention very quickly. But until they do these things how in the world would people who care about this team not be concerned? A final thought on your question. If players are concerned, they can do something about it: Play better, reduce mistakes and make clutch plays.
Wayne from Jacksonville
When is the organization going to realize you have to have some elite linemen to 1) protect the quarterback and 2) run the ball in short-yardage situation?
The Jaguars know offensive linemen are important. This is why they have traded for them, used first-round selections on them and paid a lot of money for them as unrestricted free agents in recent seasons. Reminder: Just because you don't like the players doesn't mean the Jaguars haven't acquired them.
Larry from Wattsburg(h), PA
Are you excited for next year? This team will face immense pressure throughout the remainder of the schedule and – after all – pressure makes diamonds!
I haven't the foggiest idea how I feel about the Jaguars' 2025 season.
Eric from Columbus, IN
You could blame just about everything but it's pretty simple: Some teams and organizations have "it." And we are not one of them. Pretty simple. Every drive, there is someone new to blame. Hard to fix that.
We're spending a lot of time looking for answers this week, as happens during strings of frustrating losses. I don't know what "it" is. But there's no magic and the NFL isn't that vague. You get good players and good coaches, organize them well and you execute game plans while reducing mistakes. You then make plays in big situations. You win more than you lose if you do those things. It's not simple, but it's also not vague.
Karter from Sahuarita
I think we have been hearing about execution problems for a year now. Preseason and first half of Game 1 looked like it was fixed, but since that fumble the Jags look like their old self. How do we right the ship and fix the execution problems this week and not start 0-3?
Play better. Plan better. Pay better attention. Execute better.
Nick from Virginia Beach, VA
Shad called this the best Jags team ever. If we have a losing season, will the GM and HC be fired?
Jaguars Owner Shad Khan indeed established the tone for the 2024 season when he said it was time to win now and gave this roster perhaps the highest praise he has given a roster in his 13 seasons as owner. He clearly has high expectations. Owners must consider many factors when determining who will be the head coach and general manager. I expect Khan would consider change if he is disappointed with the results of this season. Whether he would enact change is impossible to know after two games.
Bill from Hawthorn Woods, IL
It just so happens I will be at the Texans game in Houston, watching from the comfort of a corporate suite. What won't be comfortable is if this teams starts 0-4, which is obviously possible. How much does the angst and panic increase at 0-3 and 0-4 should that occur?
Quite a bit, one would think.
Mike from Jacksonville
- Law seems to struggle at "seeing the field" in games and misses open receivers. P. Mahomes has this as a "superpower" and it shows.
I would agree that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is better than Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in some key areas. I would say Mahomes is better than most NFL quarterbacks in some key areas.
Darwin from Cebu, Philippines
Hey, KOAF! How 'boit we play a game of word count. How many times will you hear 'Execution', 'Better', and 'Communication' in press interviews in these next few days leading to MNF. I'm fancying 'Better' as the winner. What's your take?
I'll take communication because it darned sure has to be better moving forward than it was Sunday against the Browns.
Sal from Austin, TX
Again, the head coach's message to the fans is, "That's not who we are." It never ceases to amaze me that in a business where the object is to actually keep score, the head coach gets up there and says, "That's not who we are." 0-2 is exactly who the Jaguars are. Could they finish 15-2? Maybe, but right now, they're showing who they are. And that whole, "That's a really good defense we played." That's Gus Bradley right there.
It never ceases to amaze me what never ceases to amaze fans. It also never ceases to amaze me how fans interpret coaches' media availabilities. Coaches say, "That's not who we are" following losses because they usually see the game playing out one way and it plays out another way. Coaches don't envision losing. They don't envision failure. They pick rosters and starters believing players will make plays. They design game plans envisioning they will work. When those things don't happen, coaches will say "That's not who we are." At some point, they will get frustrated and say, "We are who our record says we are." This is how it works. I imagine it will keep working that way for a while.
Ed from Jax by Lionel Playworld
Although there are 15 games left, it is reasonable to think we'll miss the playoffs. Historically, 0-2 NFL teams have a three-to-one chance of missing the playoffs. You, yourself, said that the team has not looked good. Years of being a Cardiac Cats fan has taken its toll, and I need to pace myself. What kind of off season should I prepare for if we, indeed, miss the playoffs?
Long and busy.
Jason from Jacksonville
John, Trevor ain't him. He got paid like him because the franchise-destroying belief in his potential demanded it. We are about to see what him is the next two weeks and they're not named Trevor. Tell me what he's done notable during his time in the league besides leading the league in turnovers? He ain't him.
Your opinion is vogue these days, though I confess I'm not cool enough to really know what "ain't him" means. If you're saying Lawrence isn't as good as Bills quarterback Josh Allen … no, he's not. If you're saying he's not as good as Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud … we'll see.
Dave from LA
To me, it feels as though the final stretch of '22, when the Jags were upsetting better teams in high-scoring games with Trevor playing gunslinger, was the peak of the Doug Pederson offense. Easy to forget, but coming into '23, we all predicted this offense would be Top 3 in the league and vault the Jags into Super Bowl contention. But the opposite happened. They spent '23 shrinking down into an extremely horizontal, dink-and-dunk, ball control attack that has steadily degraded in output to this day. This roster is not the 1970s Steelers, winning 13-10 with 90 yards passing, one TD, zero interceptions. If this thing is going down in flames, at least go down swinging with your most valuable weapon. Trevor should be rolling out, creating, scoring two-to-four touchdowns a game and throwing one-to-two interceptions a game. Would that lead to opponents scoring more? Yes. But more importantly, it would inject volatility and adrenaline back into a stale Jags offense that, in its current state, is incapable of outscoring virtually any opponent.
The coaches are writing in. This is always a good sign.
Larry from Wattsburg(h), PA
Have you ever tried beef on 'weck? Try one in Buffalo with a generous lump of horseradish and perhaps a Southern Tier IPA. Welcome to 716!
I have had a Beef on 'Weck. The first I ever had was the night after the Jaguars beat the Buffalo Bills, 30-27, in an AFC Wild Card Playoff following the 1996 season. The game was on a Saturday. Pete Prisco and I stayed though Monday because the Florida Times-Union wanted save money and the Monday flight was cheaper than a Sunday flight. This irritated my wife because our infant son was sick. I had a Beef on 'Weck and a few more beers than one on a Sunday night. That's what I remember about my first Beef on 'Weck.
