Will the Jacksonville Jaguars fire head coach Doug Pederson?

Jaguars owner Shad Khan made some major changes this offseason, including a new contract for quarterback Trevor Lawrence plus the addition of high draft picks and high-profile free agents, andJacksonville had high expectations for the season. Despite that, they are still dealing with the same old problems.

After their most embarrassing loss of the season, a 52-6 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the Jaguars are heading into their Week 12 bye week at 2-9, the worst team in the league. Lawrence is still nursing a shoulder injury, so it was Mac Jones at quarterback during the game, which was over already by halftime. The Lions scored on all four of their possessions and outgained the Jaguars by 475 yards - the largest disparity in an NFL game since 1979.

Because of all this, head couch Doug Pederson as well as general manager Trent Baalke are on the hot seat.

Will the Jaguars fire Pederson?

The Jaguars brought Pederson on in 2022. In his first season, he started off 3-7, but then turned things around, winning six of the next seven for a final record of 9-8 in the regular season and winning the division for the first time since 2017, plus a playoff berth. In the Wild Card round, they rallied from a 27-0 deficit to win 31-30 over the Los Angeles Chargers. They went on to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round.

In his second season, however, the opposite happened. The Jaguars started out 8-3 before losing four straight games and ending the season at 9-8, missing the playoffs and landing second in the division.

Now that the Jaguars are 2-9 and have lost five of their last six games, it looks like Pederson’s chances might be over after this season, or even after tonight.

“An ugly loss piled on top of everything that is going on in Jacksonville could spark the beginning of the end,” said NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport after Sunday’s loss to the Lions. “As one source told me, ‘It is everyone’s fault. Everyone plays a part in it.’”

It’s also not unusual for Khan to fire personnel midseason. In 2020, general manager Dave Caldwell was fired after three seasons of 10 straight losses. In 2021, Urban Meyer was fired after less than a year into his coaching the Jaguars.

After the loss to the Lions on Sunday, Pederson was asked if he thought that would be his last game with the Jaguars.

“I can’t control that,” Pederson said. “Listen, I’ve been around this league a long time. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen obviously. But at the same time, I still have a job to do. And that’s to get ready for a good division opponent here in two weeks.”

As they enter the bye week this week, it could be the perfect time to make some dramatic moves. If Pederson is fired, it could be quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy who replaces him for the season, as he has head coaching experience (Chargers, 2013-16).

The Jaguars will play the Houston Texans in Week 13 when they come out of the bye week. We’ll soon know if Pederson or someone else will be coaching them for that game.