JACKSONVILLE—Doug Pederson clarified this on Monday:
Despite suffering the most lopsided defeat of the season, the Jaguars’ season is far from finished; in fact, they are still in first place in their division and actively participating in all postseason activities.
Yet, the head coach of the Jaguars was primarily focused on averting future performances akin to Monday’s 34-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at EverBank Stadium, which Pederson referred to as a “head-scratcher,” as well as getting ready for a two-game stretch of crucial division games
“It’s just a great opportunity for us to get back on track,” said Pederson. “That’s kind of the takeaway I gave the guys: ‘You’re still leading the AFC South, you’re in a good spot, and you have two important games coming up. It remains directly in front of us.”
A game and a half above the Indianapolis Colts (5-5) and a game over the Houston Texans (5-4) separates the Jaguars (6-3) atop the AFC South. On Sunday, they host the Tennessee Titans(3-6), who are currently in fourth place, and the following Sunday, they travel to Houston to play the Texans.
It’s important to play an AFC [South] opponent, according to Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins on Monday. “We need to defeat these two teams in order to get to where we need to be and position ourselves to advance in the playoffs.
“We definitely have the mindset of ,’It doesn’t matter what opponent is out there on any given Sunday,’ but the reality is we have two division back-to-back games.”
Before Sunday’s game, the Jaguars had won five straight games despite trailing for a total of seven minutes. They were behind 10-0 after the first quarter and never took the lead on Sunday. The 49ers (6-3), who had lost their previous three games coming into Sunday, led 13-3 at the half and 27-3 going into the fourth quarter.
“We laid an egg,” said Travis Etienne Jr., a running back.
Pederson’s two seasons with the Jaguars were marked by the most lopsided defeat to date.
“Their sense of urgency was greater than ours,” Pederson said. “They played a little faster than we did. Someone asked me if they were desperate. Good teams are never desperate. They’re just good and they figure it out. That’s what we’re trying to do right now.
“I still think we’re a good football team. We’re still trying to figure some things out, some pieces, but we got behind the eight ball quickly yesterday and never could recover.”
The 49ers outgained the Jaguars 437-221, with the Jaguars committing four turnovers and allowing five sacks. The Jaguars’ defense, after entering the game leading the NFL in takeaways, did not force a turnover Sunday. The Jaguars allowed a season-high 144 yards rushing.
