Jaguars HC Doug Pederson offers funny explanation for gutsy fourth-down call
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson offered a hilarious and honest explanation for his gutsy fourth-down call late in Saturday's comeback playoff victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
"Have you seen us QB sneak this year?" Pederson asked NBC Sports' Peter King. "We’re not very good. I mean, we’re just not good."
Pederson earned widespread praise from fans and analysts alike for his play-calling that helped the Jaguars overcome a 27-0 deficit they faced before halftime. With 1:28 left to play in regulation and Jacksonville trailing 30-28, the hosts encountered a 4th-and-1 situation and lined up in a formation that King noted "screamed quarterback sneak." Instead, signal-caller Trevor Lawrence handed the ball to running back Travis Etienne, and Etienne sprinted 25 yards for a first down that put the Jaguars in field-goal range.
Riley Patterson later delivered the walk-off, game-winning kick:
"I felt like we were a little too far for the field goal," Pederson added about the fourth-down decision. "Our season was coming down to basically 18 inches. We’re going for this and put it into the players' hands. Phil Rauscher, my offensive line coach, came up with that play. Did a great job of design."
Pederson and company may need more figurative magic up their sleeves when they play at the Kansas City Chiefs, the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed, Saturday. OddsChecker pointed out that multiple sportsbooks listed the Jaguars as plus-8.5 underdogs for that contest as of Monday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Pederson insisted Saturday's result ranked second all time in his life "right behind" when he guided the Philadelphia Eagles to a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl LII back in February 2018.
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