The Jacksonville Jaguars are 0-4 after a last-minute loss to the rival Houston Texans last weekend. Yet head coach Doug Pederson did not expect to field questions about his job status.
The moment occurred during Pederson's post-game press conference. A media member asked the head coach if he'd start worrying about his status at this point of the season.
"My status," Pederson asked before the media member referenced the 0-4 start. "I mean, no. That's kind of a strange question, but okay."
#Jaguars HC Doug Pederson was surprised that he was asked about his job status after today's loss dropped them to 0-4.
"That's kind of a strange question, but OK.” pic.twitter.com/Ew0nKWhp0P
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 30, 2024
Pederson may view the question as strange, but the media members must ask it. After all, the Jaguars are 0-4 for the first time since the 2021 season when Urban Meyer was the head coach.
The Jaguars went 0-5 to start the 2021 season. Their first win was against the Dolphins in Week 6. The AFC South team only won two more games in 2021. The team also fired Meyer in mid-December.
This was not the only slightly antagonistic interaction between Pederson and members of the press.
Another follow-up focused on whether he would take over play-calling duties for offensive coordinator Press Taylor as the AFC South seeks its first win of the season.
"For what? I thought he called a great game," Pederson said. "As coaches, we can't go out there and make the plays, right? It's a two-way street.
"You guys (the media) can sit here and point the finger all you want, that's fine, but point it right at me. I can take it."
Pederson took over as Jaguars head coach at the start of the 2022 season. His team went 9-8 in that first season and won the AFC South. They beat the Chargers in the Wild Card Round but lost to the Chiefs in the Divisional Round.
The Jaguars went 9-8 again last season but finished second in the AFC South behind the Texans. Pederson's team started the season 8-3 but experienced a late-season collapse that featured four straight losses.
Now 0-4, the Jaguars have a relatively difficult schedule ahead of them. Next up are the 2-2 Colts. After that are the Bears, Patriots, Packers, and Eagles.
If the Jaguars are unable to snap this winless streak against these opponents, the job status questions could increase in frequency.
