It is not a good time to be the Jacksonville Jaguars. After their 12-7 Sunday loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Jags stand at 2-8, and they’re currently slotted for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft . This would be the third time in the past five seasons they’ve been in that spot, and the last time they began a season 2-8, they were “coached” (you’ll forgive the elastic use of the term) by Urban Meyer in 2021 .
That most likely puts head coach Doug Pederson on the lame-duck block, and Pederson is not at all happy about it. Pederson was especially unhappy that he had to face Brian Flores’ Vikings defense without quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is dealing with an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. Backup quarterback Mac Jones performed predictably against Flores’ buzzsaws, completing 14 of 22 passes for 111 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, a passer rating of 38.3, and a Passing EPA of -10.3.
Not exactly surprising, since Jones has never really had the look of an NFL starter, even when the New England Patriots tried to make chicken salad with him. What was a bit surprising was Pederson’s arch tone postgame when he was asked to explain Jones’ second interception in the game, which came with 1:54 left in the game.