Jaguars coach Doug Pederson says firing assistants during the season is 'a dangerous thing'

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jaguars coach Doug Pederson doesn’t believe in firing assistants during the season.

He didn’t do it during his five years in Philadelphia and doesn’t plan to in Jacksonville, not even after the worst loss in franchise history.

Coming off a 52-6 debacle at Detroit and heading into a bye week, Pederson said “everything’s on the table” in terms of making changes. But he also made it clear that keeping his staff intact is a priority.

“I think you got to be really, really careful,” Pederson said. “When you start pointing fingers at certain people, it’s a dangerous thing. And I’m not going to do that. Not doing it. Not right now.

“As a head coach in this league that’s going through what we’re going through, you’re pointing a finger. And if it’s going to be pointed, it needs to be pointed at me. Start with me. That’s enough on that.”

The Jaguars (2-9) could point fingers in any direction and find problems. They have lost four games in a row and 14 of 17.

Their offense mustered the fewest yards over a three-game stretch in franchise history. Jacksonville managed 528 yards in losses to Philadelphia (215), Minnesota (143) and Detroit (170).

Their defense, meanwhile, gave up the most yards over three games in the team’s 30 seasons. The unit allowed 1,494 yards to the Eagles (447), the Vikings (402) and the Lions (645).

So something, maybe everything, needs to be overhauled in Jacksonville. Owner Shad Khan, though, opted not to fire Pederson or general manager Trent Baalke the day after the franchise’s most lopsided loss.

“Football is a war of attrition at times,” veteran center Mitch Morse said. “Our team has been no exception to that, both on offense and defense. That’s part of the gig. You go in and you’ve got to battle with who you’ve got and rally around guys.

“You ask anyone in this locker room. You don’t expect to lose, but it’s how you respond to that. That’s going to be a great challenge.”

Special teams have been bright spots this season. Logan Cooke leads the NFL in net punting at 46.4 yards a kick. Rookie Cam Little has made 13 consecutive field goals, including a career-long 59-yarder against the Lions. And safety Daniel Thomas had Jacksonville’s top highlight when he dropped punt returner Kalif Raymond inside the 10-yard line.

Pederson said the Jaguars need to look into playing consecutive games in London every year. They won three in a row after playing back-to-back weeks in London in 2023 but eventually wore down and dropped five of six to miss the playoffs. They’re on a four-game skid now after splitting two games overseas.

“I think it’s something we need to take a look at where the bye is (after) 10 days over there,” Pederson said. “Having the bye early in the year? I don’t necessarily like that as much. But I think we need to take a look at where it is and the timing of it as we move forward.”

Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. caught five passes for 82 yards against the Lions, his best game in weeks. He had four receptions for 34 yards the previous two games combined, both while playing without Christian Kirk (broken collarbone).

Backup quarterback Mac Jones has struggled in two starts in place of Trevor Lawrence. He has completed 31 of 51 passes for 249 yards, with no touchdowns, three interceptions and four sacks.

Receiver Gabe Davis, who signed a three-year, $39 million contract in free agency, will miss the rest of the season after tearing the meniscus in his left knee. Davis has 20 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns. He will join Kirk on injured reserve.

1 – Jacksonville’s current spot in the 2025 NFL draft. If it holds, the Jaguars would have the top pick for the third time in five years.

The only questions that matter down the stretch: What will Khan do with Pederson and Baalke, and how will any potential changes make Lawrence better in 2025?

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Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) talks with Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence after an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones (10) throws against the Detroit Lions during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones (10) runs the ball against the Detroit Lions during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) runs the ball against the Detroit Lions during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Jacksonville Jaguars place-kicker Cam Little (39) kicks a 35-yard field goal against the Detroit Lions during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson leaves after talking to the media after an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson watches against the Detroit Lions during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson talks to the media after an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — With the Minnesota Vikings holding a 10-point lead at Tennessee midway through the fourth quarter, Titans quarterback Will Levis lined up in the shotgun formation for a crucial fourth-and-4 play from the Minnesota 43.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores ordered six men up on the line, once again threatening to blitz without guaranteeing his team would actually bring it. Sure enough, the linebackers dropped back at the snap, leaving the pass rush for the front four.

Patrick Jones powered past Titans right guard Peter Skoronski, the 11th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and pulled down Levis for a 6-yard loss with 8:32 left to force the turnover on downs and all but seal Sunday's 23-13 victory that moved Minnesota to 8-2.

The Vikings have been hounding quarterbacks all season, often without any extra help.

“We were just all out there rushing together. Just trying to work off of each other,” said Jones, who had two of the five sacks of Levis, none of which required an extra rusher. “We were all just playing free out there. Just having fun.”

With Andrew Van Ginkel (eight), Jonathan Greenard (seven) and Jones (seven), the Vikings are on pace to have three players with 10-plus sacks for only the third time in franchise history. The Purple People Eaters produced three — Alan Page, Gary Larsen and Jim Marshall — in 1968. When the Vikings had a team-record 71 sacks in 1989, Chris Doleman, Keith Millard and Al Noga all reached double digits.

“That group as a whole is really a strength,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.

The addition of Greenard and Van Ginkel in free agency, even while letting four-time Pro Bowl pick Danielle Hunter leave, has fueled a pass-rushing renaissance for the Vikings. Flores still calls blitzes at a league-leading rate (36%), according to Sportradar, but the frequency of extra rushers is significantly down from last year (53%).

Regularly removing all of the interior linemen and putting four edge rushers on the front, Flores has found an effective formula for pressure without relying on the blitz. Yet he's still sending extra rushers often enough — including inside linebackers Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace and safeties Josh Metellus and Harrison Smith — to ensure the opponent is constantly guessing about where the protection is most vulnerable.

“Our guys up front did a great job. First, stopping the run. Second, getting after the quarterback,” Smith said. “That makes it hard, no matter what you know at that point. You've got guys trying to put pressure on you all day.”

The defense against the run, as Smith alluded to, was nearly impenetrable. Titans running back Tony Pollard had his least productive game of the season with nine carries for 15 yards, and the Vikings stopped five running plays for negative yardage.

The presence of mammoth defensive tackles Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat in Tennessee made running the ball inside difficult, but the Vikings need more production on the ground to keep their offense on the right track. They averaged a season-low 2.48 yards on 33 attempts against the Titans.

QB Sam Darnold deftly bounced back from a two-game stretch with five interceptions and a lost fumble. Though he was charged with another lost fumble on a toss that was bobbled and dropped by Aaron Jones, Darnold didn't force any throws that weren't there and stayed plenty aggressive when he needed to. He ranks fifth in the NFL in touchdown passes, sixth in yards per attempt and 10th in passer rating.

“It speaks to kind of where he’s at right now. Just really proud of the way he played," O'Connell said.

The game at Tennessee marked a low moment for the 2022 draft class that has been a drag on this otherwise well-constructed roster.

Among the five players who remain, right guard Ed Ingram was benched for Dalton Risner, wide receiver Jalen Nailor dropped what would've been a 46-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and running back Ty Chandler — now third on the depth chart — took a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on punt coverage. Linebacker Brian Asamoah and cornerback Akayleb Evans are in special teams-only roles.

Tight end Josh Oliver departed the game with a sprained ankle, putting his availability for the week in question. Oliver's overall effectiveness has allowed the Vikings to ease T.J. Hockenson back into action in his return from knee surgery. Oliver played 41 of 73 snaps against the Titans, and Hockenson played 35.

With an average of 3.5 sacks per game, the Vikings are third in the NFL and have matched their second-best single-season rate on record. The 1989 team had 4.4 sacks per game.

The friendly placement of the struggling AFC South in the middle of the schedule has passed, but there's a transition period before a challenging final three-game stretch. Minnesota plays at Chicago on Sunday, the first of two games in four weeks against a Bears team that has lost four straight games.

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Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) breaks up a pass intended for Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) run from Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) throws a pass as he is pressured by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Pat Jones II (91) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) throws a pass as he is pressured by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Pat Jones II (91) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis is sacked by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Pat Jones II (91) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) tackled Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) celebrates after sacking Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)