Fire everybody? Probably not, but the Jaguars should be worried amid a 0-3 start

Updated Sep. 24, 2024 1:02 p.m. ET

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Fire everybody.

That sentiment could have resonated through Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan's head during the most embarrassing prime-time debacle in franchise history. The Jaguars looked disinterested and disorganized long before they became despondent in a 47-10 drubbing at Buffalo on Monday night.

Jacksonville is winless — and often noncompetitive — through three games. It surely won’t sit well with Khan, whose team again is a laughingstock just two months after he proclaimed it "the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars ever” and added that “winning now” should be the expectation.

Trevor Lawrence has clearly regressed under coach Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor, losing his eighth consecutive start and looking nothing like the “generational quarterback” the Jaguars thought they landed when they drafted him first overall in 2021.

Lawrence isn’t getting enough help, either. His receiving corps has the NFL's most drops over the last four seasons. His aging offensive line is among the league’s most porous. And his playbook seems predictable and pedestrian.

“There has to be changes, whether it’s play design, personnel,” Pederson said. “Everything is on the table.”

Pederson should get the brunt of the blame for the team’s on-field performance. But general manager Trent Baalke is equally at fault.

Baalke handed out nearly $500 million in contracts to three guys who have done little since — Lawrence, pass rusher Josh Hines-Allen and injured cornerback Tyson Campbell — while failing to sufficiently upgrade the O-line after Lawrence was sacked a career-high 35 times last year and knocked out of four games with injuries. Lawrence already has been sacked 11 times this season.

The bottom line: The Jaguars are averaging 13.3 points, the third fewest in the league and the franchise’s lowest output through three games since a massive makeover in 2013.

Yet, somehow, defense was a bigger issue against the Bills, who scored touchdowns on their first five possessions. Jacksonville barely touched quarterback Josh Allen and was a step slow in man-to-man coverages.

The unit is giving up 361 yards a game, has five sacks and no turnovers. The defense collapsed against Miami in the opener, got gashed by undermanned Cleveland in Week 2 and then humiliated on national TV. Not an ideal start for new coordinator Ryan Nielsen, who replaced 2023 scapegoat Mike Caldwell.

Only six NFL teams since 1979 have made the playoffs after starting 0-3, including just one since 2000, and none has won a Super Bowl. So Jacksonville’s season seems lost before October.

And now the attention turns to Khan. He’s unlikely to do anything rash, especially after just three games, but he surely will take a closer look at what’s going on between Baalke, Pederson and players over the next three months.

What’s working

“Maybe the kickoff touchback.” That was Pederson’s response when asked to find a positive Monday night.

What needs help

Almost everything. The Jaguars have scored 23 points in their last 10 quarters, the most futile stretch of offense the franchise has witnessed since that 2013 season in which the Jaguars essentially fielded an expansion team.

Stock up

Christian Kirk caught eight passes for 79 yards, by far his best game of the season. But Kirk also had a pass bounce off his facemask in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

Stock down

Right tackle Walker Little replaced injured starter Anton Harrison late in the third and made three mistakes in a five-snap sequence. He was twice flagged for a false start and then whiffed trying to block Von Miller on a fourth-down play, leading to the fourth sack of Lawrence.

Injuries

Harrison (knee), linebacker Foye Oluokun (foot) and rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones (shoulder). Jones’ early injury was significant because it left the Jaguars without three of their top defensive backs; Campbell (hamstring) and Darnell Savage (quadricep) were inactive.

Key number

1 — Number of teams in NFL history that have made the playoffs after starting 0-4. The San Diego Chargers accomplished the feat in 1992 behind coach Bobby Ross, quarterback Stan Humphries and linebacker Junior Seau.

Next steps

The Jaguars will need to win at AFC South rival Houston (2-1) on a short week to avoid the sixth 0-4 start in franchise history.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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