Let’s say this in defense of the Jaguars, whose loss to the Titans ended their playoff hopes Sunday: If they were to pick just about any team to face in a win-and-in scenario, Tennessee, in what may be Mike Vrabel’s last game there, in what may be Derrick Henry’s last game there, in what may be Ryan Tannehill’s last game there, was just about the worst case scenario.
I wouldn’t want to see Vrabel on the opposing sidelines with Franklin Road Academy, never mind a veteran group of players looking to throw one last haymaker before a long offseason vacation and a coach who could motivate the dead. And from the end of the first quarter, when Tyjae Spears broke about a half dozen tackles then walked into the end zone, it was clear the Jaguars had gotten what they bargained for, by letting so much of the season slip away.
Of course this is an epic failure on the part of Doug Pederson and the Jaguars. Amid a season in which Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert are out for the year, Russell Wilson has been benched, and the Chiefs’ offense is struggling so mightily that we’re hearing about the possibility of nabbing Eric Bieniemy back from Washington or desperately paring down the playbook to spark the team, Jacksonville couldn’t back its way into the postseason even with Trevor Lawrence appearing in 16 of the team’s 17 games. Of course the December freefall will sting. Of course Pederson, who had the fantastic opportunity to replace one of the most disastrous NFL coaches in modern history, just flicked the heater on beneath his desk chair. Of course the complexion of this team has changed and we’ll spend the offseason talking about new personnel and new ideas.
