JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser examines Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson's postgame press conference following the Jaguars’ 23-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in a 2023 Week 15 game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday

1. Frustrating. Pederson's frustration and displeasure was evident throughout his postgame media availability, and with reason: He spoke throughout the week of the Jaguars needing to eliminate self-inflicted mistakes and play sound football to give themselves a chance to win. The Jaguars did not do those things Sunday. The Jaguars on Sunday night not only had missed field goals of 50 and 55 yards by kicker Brandon McManus, quarterback Trevor Lawrence also had two costly lost fumbles – including one at the Ravens 19-yard line. The Jaguars also missed an opportunity for points late in the first half when Lawrence passed to wide receiver Parker Washington, who was tackled at the Ravens 3-yard line as time expired in the second quarter. "That's the head scratcher," Pederson said. "That's the frustrating part. We can't get out of our way. That's the frustrating part because we do some really good things, and then it's a play or two or here and there that keep us from scoring."
2. (Extremely) frustrating. Pederson addressed self-inflicted errors multiple times late Sunday, calling the situation "extremely frustrating" and referring to it as "the pride of the team." He focused in particular on the fumbles. Lawrence's first lost fumble came with the Jaguars trailing 3-0 with 5:42 remaining in the first half. A 21-yard return led to the Ravens' first touchdown and a 10-0 Ravens lead with 1:12 remaining in the half. Lawrence's second fumble came when he was sacked by Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike. Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen recovered at the Jaguars 19, with kicker Justin Tucker's 34-yard field goal four players later giving the Ravens a 23-7 lead with 6:01 remaining. "It's the individual efforts," Pederson said. "There's great effort out there. It's just that we've just got to be ultra focused on doing our jobs and doing their jobs. The No. 1 prized possession on the field is the football and we've got to do a better job protecting it."
3. Staying aggressive. The Jaguars trailed 10-0 when Lawrence passed 36 yards to wide receiver Zay Jones, who was tackled in bounds at the Ravens 5-yard line with :23 remaining in the second quarter. With Pederson calling three timeouts on the previous Ravens drive to preserve time, the Jaguars were out of timeouts. The Jaguars rushed to the line, with Lawrence passing to wide receiver Parker Washington, who was ruled down in bounds with :07 remaining in the half. The clock ran out and the Jaguars trailed 10-0 at halftime. "We're going to stay aggressive," Pederson said. "We've scored before in those situations. It was just a mistake, I think, by Trevor, [not] knowing the situation and knowing how much time is left right there. It's a great learning experience for us from the standpoint of don't throw it inbounds to be tackled in that situation. We're learn from that one, but just another great opportunity for us to try to get in the end zone."
4. Keeping it close. The Jaguars allowed 396 yards Sunday, including 251 rushing yards. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson rushed for 97 yards on 12 carries, but Pederson said the defense overall played well and kept the Jaguars in the game for three quarters. The Jaguars allowed just one touchdown in the first three quarters, registering three sacks. Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins' second-quarter interception gave the Jaguars possession at their 48 to start the drive that ended when Lawrence fumbled at the Baltimore 19. "The defense really came to play, kind of kept them down, did some good things," Pederson said. "I think it was the third quarter Baltimore did the Baltimore things. They began running the football, and those were the things that kind of started to show up in the third quarter. They rattled off a couple of big runs. I thought for the most part defense kept us in the game, kept us close and did some good things for us."
5. Honest assessment. The Jaguars have lost three consecutive games and four of six following a five-game winning streak that moved their record to 6-2. Their three consecutive losses have come to the Cincinnati Bengals 34-31 in overtime, 31-27 to the Cleveland Browns and to the Ravens Sunday. "We've got to continue to just grind away and just figure out how to win a football game – whether we're running it, throwing it, kicking it, it doesn't matter," Pederson said. "Right now, we're just not good enough to pull these games out against good football teams. That's the honest truth. Until we figure that out, it's going to be rough. It's just a matter of continuing to work and taking your job serious and getting ready for another one next week."