No play calling set to change in Jacksonville.

The Jacksonville Jaguars look like a completely different football team right now. After starting the year with an 8-3 overall record, they fell to 8-7, in a three-way tie for the division lead. With just two games remaining, reporters and fans alike are desperately attempting to figure out what the problem is for this team. According to head coach Doug Pederson, play calling is the last of their worries.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is facing another week out of action following a shoulder injury he suffered in Week 16. Even when he’s been under centre there’s been concerns though. He’s worked together well with Press Taylor, the offensive coordinator, but of course both of their jobs will come into question when adversity hits. Pederson was asked about their offensive struggles and said, “I know, being around this league, everybody wants to point the finger somewhere. We’ve got to do a better job taking care of the football. It’s not about the plays.  We’ve got to tackle better, and we’ve got to take care of the football. Bottom line. If we do those things, those give us a chance to win football games.”

Speaking on what Pederson said, Lawrence in particular has turned the football over a whopping EIGHT times in just the last three games. This accounts for five interceptions and three fumbles. Miscommunication led to a handful of interceptions in this stretch as well, which can easily fall upon coaching. Pederson even said that he and the rest of the coaches need to do a better job getting into position on offense. How they need to prepare their signals better and come into the game with an understanding of their roles/jobs. 

Jacksonville is lucky though, as they remain in front of the AFC South division heading into the final two games of the season. Both the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans lost pivotal games to avoid jumping into first and above the Jaguars last weekend. Jacksonville has an opportunity to clinch the division title if they can get a big bounce back win over the two-win Carolina Panthers, AND if the Texans and Colts both lose their matchups. The Colts take on the Las Vegas Raiders and the Texas square off against the Tennessee Titans.

It might be even harder for Jacksonville against Caroli8na considering that their quarterback might not play. We mentioned earlier that Lawrence was dealing with a shoulder injury, and well, there’s a genuine shot that CJ Beathard takes the start in this matchup. The last thing that the Jaguars want to do is rush their franchise quarterback onto the field, lose the game, and lose him for the year as well. If he rests this week, he could be fully healthy going into the postseason, assuming they can hold on and win at least one more game with Beathard. They also signed Matt Barkley to their active roster in the case that Lawrence doesn’t play, and to add some depth behind Beathard in case he gets hurt.