Despite losing starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a concussion suffered on a dirty hit, the Jaguars nearly pulled off a comeback at home against the Texans on Sunday, only to drop their 10th game of the 2024 season, 23-20.
Find everything Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after Jacksonville’s latest loss below.
On QB Trevor Lawrence’s injury and if Pederson was able to talk to him postgame:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I haven’t talked to the docs yet. I did see him at halftime. He was moving around and everything. We’ll be fine. He’ll obviously go into the protocol. I haven’t talked to him here after the game yet.”
On where the hit that Lawrence took ranks for Pederson in terms of “dirty” hits:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Well, look, it’s a play that nobody wants to see in our league obviously because you see what happens after the fact and it just escalates. I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Ryans [Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans]. I know he doesn’t coach his team that way. We don’t coach our team that way. It’s unfortunate, it really is. It’s unfortunate. I’m just glad that Trevor’s going to be fine. He’ll obviously be in the protocol, but it just is an unfortunate play.”
On if Pederson has thought about shutting Lawrence down for the season:
DOUG PEDERSON: “It’s 30 minutes after the game, so I haven’t thought about that.”
On Jaguars running back coach Jerry Mack taking a head coaching job at Kennesaw State University:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I’m excited for Jerry. It’s a great opportunity for him to become a head coach in college football at Kennesaw State. I just thank Jerry for what he’s done here. He’s really changed that running back room and has done some really good things for us. Wish him well. I’m excited. I’m excited for him to be able to watch him continue his career as a head coach now.”
On if it was difficult to decided whether to go for the onside kick or not at the end of the game:
DOUG PEDERSON: “It obviously was a thought to do that, but we still had a couple of timeouts and still had some time left on the clock. Just the decision to go deep and put our defense back out there and try to get one more stop. We talked about it quickly, but we elected to kick it deep.”
On what it was like watching Lawrence go down after the big hit:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I was excited for Trevor to get back out there and start for our team and lead our football team this week. That was always the goal was we’ll shoot for the Houston game and get him back out there. Again, it’s unfortunate. It’s a play that really has no business being in our league. I thought the officials did a great job of doing the best they could to get control of it and all of that. Again, getting Trevor in a comfortable situation, getting him back out there, trying to get some momentum on offense, and obviously that happens. It takes a little wind out of your sails, but on the flip side of that too, Mac came in and got us back in the football game. So proud of that too.”
On if the aftermath of the hit was just a byproduct of what happened:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, you see it at every level of football, right? When the quarterback gets hit at that magnitude, it just escalates. Obviously, Jarrian [CB Jarrian Jones] on our side, he can’t do what he did either. That’s unacceptable as well. I know the league will probably send out fines for both players and maybe some others. Again, when you see that, yes, it does. Plus, it’s a division game. It’s a division game, and it’s an emotional football game as it is, but at the same time, you have to be the bigger person. You’ve got to be the bigger man in situations like that. Just fortunate that nobody else was ejected from the game.”
On not being able to get off the field on third down:
DOUG PEDERSON: “As a player, number one, you’ve got to understand the situation. Schematically, we look at it as coaches and make sure we’re putting our players in situations to be successful. Obviously, we’ll take a look at the tape tomorrow, and I’ll have probably a better answer for you tomorrow on this. Just knowing and understanding the situation, yeah, you do everything you can to try to get off the field. Give credit to Houston for executing that play and staying on the field.”
On Jaguars offensive lineman Walker Little getting a contract extension today:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Excited for Walker. It’s a great opportunity for him. I think it just shows the commitment the organization has and the type of player that he is to really get him locked up. I think for him too it’s a little peace of mind knowing he’ll be here for the long haul. Excited for him and his family. It’s a great opportunity, great for the organization obviously and our team, and excited for him.”
