Last week, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said “the sky is not falling” and outside linebacker Dawuane Smoot stressed there was “no need to panic” after back-to-back losses.
A 23-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens that dropped the Jaguars into a three-way tie for the AFC South lead has changed the tune a bit, though.
“I think you’ve got to feel a sense of urgency, you’ve got to feel like your back is against the wall a little bit,” Pederson said Wednesday. “It’s just time to go play. I don’t think you ever want to be desperate, because then you do things out of character.
“It’s figuring out how to win a game right now. Everybody has to pay attention to their job and just do what they’ve been asked to do, coaches and players. … Sometimes, it may not be pretty, but if you can figure out a way to get it done, it helps you.”
With divisional tiebreakers in their back pocket, the Jaguars would probably make the postseason if they win even two of their last three. But there isn’t much margin for error, especially if Trevor Lawrence is forced to miss time after landing in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Jacksonville is an underdog for its road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16, but has two much more winnable games to end the season against the hapless Carolina Panthers and the struggling Tennessee Titans.
The Jaguars could afford to lose Sunday and still make the postseason with back-to-back wins to end the year. There’s zero chance that’s what Pederson and his team have in mind, though.
