Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson after the game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Detroit. | AP Photo/Carlos Osorio
Published on November 17, 2024 at 9:27 pm
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In case you missed it, and I pray that you did, the highlights of the Jaguars’ 52-6 loss to the Lions in Detroit included rookie kicker Cam Little’s booting a franchise-record-tying 59-yard field goal to give the Jaguars a 3-0 lead and a terrific special teams tackle by Daniel Thomas on a majestic Logan Cooke punt.
That was pretty much it.
The Jaguars turned in one of the worst performances in franchise history for the second time this season as they fell to 2-9 and continued to track toward owning the first pick in the draft for the third time in five years.
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As of this writing, no move to the coaching staff or front office had been made, but they must be coming.
It was bad. Historically bad. The 46-point loss is the worst in Jaguars’ history.
By halftime, the Jaguars trailed 28-6, had been outgained 306 yards to 104, and Pederson and Baalke were trending on Twitter. And not in a good way.
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By the end of the third quarter, the Lions had topped 500 yards of total offense, scored six touchdowns in six possessions, and had the opportunity to become the second team in NFL history with touchdowns on all of its possessions. (They did not, but only because the Lions inserted backups into the offensive lineup).
In the fourth quarter, Detroit quarterback Jared Goff surpassed 400 passing yards for the game, leading the Lions to a seventh straight touchdown drive. Goff finished with a perfect passer rating of 158.3. Detroit, a franchise playing NFL football since 1930, compiled more yards against the Jaguars than in any game in Lions’ history.
Jacksonville’s defense offered no resistance.
The offense also produced almost nothing for the second straight game without Trevor Lawrence.
The Jaguars have been one of the worst franchises in the NFL for most of the 21st century. Jacksonville has seen five losses of at least 37 points in the last dozen seasons since Shad Khan bought the team. Khan has been criticized for not feeling the concerns of Jaguars fans. If he doesn’t decide to make a change now, what would convince him? With a bye week coming, there is no better time to make a move.
The Jaguars are entering a key stage in Khan’s ownership. Next season, the Jaguars will have full capacity at EverBank Stadium, but the following year, capacity will be reduced to around 43,500 during stadium renovations. Then, they will play home games elsewhere in 2027. If Khan doesn’t make the right moves, the question remains about how fans in Jacksonville will respond, not the rest of this season, but in the next two years.
It’s bad business to have to reset the entire franchise. But that’s where the Jaguars are. They must spend the next month and a half determining which players will move forward. Some are locked in on large contracts (Lawrence, Josh Hines-Allen, Tyson Campbell, for instance). Others, like rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas, have shown the potential to make a major difference.
No fan base has endured more franchise resets than the Jaguars over the past decade and a half. They’re about to face another.
Cole Pepper has covered sports in Jacksonville since 1996, most recently for News4Jax. He is currently broadcast director for Sporting Club Jacksonville and has called play-by-play for a number of teams, including the Suns, Tomcats, Jacksonville University, Sharks and The Bolles School football. He also served as the studio host for the Jaguars Radio Network.
