Doug Pederson praised for play calling in Jaguars' win over Chargers
Doug Pederson proved his worth as an NFL head coach once again on Saturday.
The Jaguars overcame a 27-0 deficit and the fact they lost the turnover battle 5-0 to win its wild-card game against the Chargers, 31-30.
Trevor Lawrence threw four first-half interceptions and cornerback Chris Claybrooks had a ball bounce off his helmet on a punt.
The Chargers' dysfunction proved too strong for the Jags' ineptitude thanks to head coach Pederson running circles around his counterpart, Brandon Staley.
Pederson made a couple of outstanding calls in the fourth quarter to save Jacksonville's season.
First, he took advantage of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Joey Bosa after a Jags touchdown cut the deficit to 30-26 by having the penalty assessed on the point-after attempt and going for two.
With the ball at the one-yard line instead of the two-yard line for the attempt, Pederson called a play that required Lawrence to simply extend his arm forward enough to have the football cross the goal line.
Later, facing a crucial fourth-and-one with 87 seconds remaining and three running backs in the backfield, Pederson didn't elect to have Lawrence try to get the first down by having everyone push the pile forward in a rugby-style scrum.
Instead, running back Travis Etienne took the fourth down handoff, got to the edge of the Chargers' defense and gained 25 yards for the first down.
Pederson gambled that the Chargers would sell out and attack the line of scrimmage, nullifying the defense's speed and allowing Etienne to reach the edge. The play worked to perfection and was praised online.
Those weren't Pederson's first gutsy calls in a postseason game.
He led Philadelphia to a Super Bowl victory in February 2018 and in the Eagles 41-33 Super Bowl LII victory over New England, Pederson famously called the "Philly Special" that resulted in a touchdown on a fourth-and-goal late in the second quarter.
His play calls in Duval County on Saturday night don't have flashy names yet. Pederson likely doesn't mind.
The Jacksonville Jaguars moving on to the divisional round has a nice enough ring to it.
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