Doug Pederson Not Worried About Jaguars HC Job Amid 0-4 Start After Loss vs. Texans

After the Jacksonville Jaguars fell to 0-4 this season following a last-second 24-20 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, head coach Doug Pederson gave a concise answer when asked if he's worried about his job status.

"My status? No," Pederson said, per ESPN's Michael DiRocco. He added, "That's kind of a weird question, but OK."

The Jaguars held a three-point lead for most of the second half before Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a game-winning touchdown pass with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter. It's the second time in the last four seasons that Jacksonville has started the year 0-4, as the team was 0-5 in 2021 under Urban Meyer, who was fired before the end of that season.

DiRocco noted that Jaguars owner Shad Khan told the team prior to training camp that "winning now is the expectation." Only one team in NFL history has ever made the playoffs after starting the year with a 0-4 record, so Pederson has his work cut out for himself.

Perhaps even more concerning than the early-season skid is the lack of production for star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who's completing a career-low 53.3 percent of his passes. Pederson was asked if he would consider taking over play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Press Taylor, but he indicated that he won't be making any changes.

"For what? I thought he called a great game," Pederson said. "As coaches, we can't go out there and make the plays. It's a two-way street. So you guys can sit here and point the finger all you want and it's fine. Point it right at me, I can take it. OK. I can take it so whatever you want. Ask me, say whatever, write, go ahead."

The Jaguars will try to get their first win when they host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5. Pederson said he believes the team is on the verge of getting on track.

"We're that close to flipping the switch, making more plays during the games," he said. "We're not making them right now and that's what's holding us back."