The Jacksonville Jaguars hit a new low under coach Doug Pederson on Sunday. They managed only 143 total yards — the fifth fewest in the team’s history — in a 12-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
With starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence out due to a shoulder injury, Mac Jones stepped in and had a rough game. He turned the ball over three times in the fourth quarter, throwing two interceptions, including one during a drive in the final minutes while Jacksonville was trying to score.
Running back Tank Bigsby injured his right ankle in the first quarter and didn’t play much after that. Rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was barely involved, with his first target coming in the final minute of the third quarter.
Jacksonville (2-8) failed to capitalize on three interceptions by Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. They didn’t score a single point off any of Darnold’s turnovers, and the offense managed just 2.9 yards per play during the three drives following those picks.
“We’ve got to do better, and it starts with me,” said Jones, taking responsibility for the mistakes.
This loss made Jacksonville the first NFL team since 2006 to lose a game despite forcing three turnovers and not allowing a touchdown, according to CBS. Teams had won 195 straight games when they had those advantages.
Jones, in his first start in his hometown since high school, completed 14 of 22 passes for 111 yards and was sacked three times. He did run for a touchdown on a 70-yard drive during Jacksonville’s second possession but was only able to accumulate 71 yards of offense the rest of the game.
“We’ve got to make plays, players got to make plays,” right tackle Anton Harrison said. “It sucks. We go out there three-and-out, three-and-out. We’re not helping the defense. We’ve got to try to just flip that around. We’ve got to help the defense.”
The Jaguars’ defense played well, holding Minnesota (7-2) to four field goals and preventing them from scoring a touchdown on five red-zone trips. However, the offense’s poor performance couldn’t overcome the defense’s efforts.
Minnesota ran 82 plays to Jacksonville’s 43 and held the ball for 42 minutes, 19 seconds, compared to Jacksonville’s 17:41. The Vikings picked up 28 first downs, while the Jaguars only managed 10. Minnesota ran 39 plays in Jaguars’ territory and finished with 402 total yards.
The Jaguars did have a chance late in the game after Travon Walker’s sack on a third-and-1 play. But on the next drive, Jones threw his second interception with 1:49 left, a pass that wasn’t even close to intended receiver Gabe Davis.
Pederson didn’t want to go into detail about the play after the game.
“I’m not going to go through the details of the play because you guys couldn’t figure it out,” Pederson told reporters. “But we’ll look at the tape (Monday) and we’ll make those corrections.”
The Jaguars have now lost 13 of their last 16 games, and there are growing questions about Pederson’s future. It wouldn’t be surprising if team owner Shad Khan decides to fire Pederson and possibly general manager Trent Baalke during the team’s bye week, which begins next Sunday.
Khan had previously said this was the most talented roster the team has had under his ownership, but the results on the field tell a different story.
“Never expected to be here,” Pederson said. “We had five or six games that were one-score games. It’s hard. As a team, as coaches, we’re making it hard, too hard. And the guys are frustrated, and they should be; and they’re angry, and they should be because we all are. But we have to channel it in a positive way and get ready for another one.”
