Should Doug Peterson Be Fired After Falling to 1-5?
With the Jaguars dropping yet another game this past week to the Bears, the team now finds themselves firmly at the bottom of the AFC South at 1-5. At the start of the season, there was a lot of hope for this team to be a dark horse to come out of the division, but now it is almost a certainty that they aren’t going to make the playoffs. With the Jaguars struggling on both sides of the ball, Doug Peterson now finds himself on the hot seat. So should Doug Peterson be let go, or is the team’s lack of success not his fault?
Firstly, the Jaguars need to be severely worried about their decision to resign Trevor Lawrence to a massive deal this past offseason. People were initially excited about the pairing of Doug Peterson and Trevor Lawrence because of the way that Peterson has resurrected former quarterback careers before. However, as we are in the second season of the pairing, the results have been less than stellar. Despite the new weapons at Lawrence’s disposal, this offense has not been consistent at all this season. Although Trevor Lawrence has thrown for 1334 yards, eight touchdowns, and only three interceptions, the problem is that he hasn’t played well when it matters most in a game. The Jaguars are ranked 28th in third-down conversion percentage at just over 30% for the season. This means that the Jaguars aren’t sustaining drives. Therefore, it isn’t a surprise that the Jaguars have the 30th-ranked time of possession in the NFL. If the Jaguars offense can’t stay on the field, then that means the defense is going to surrender more points to opposing teams.
All of these factors have resulted in the Jaguars ending up 1-5 on the season. I do not believe that firing Doug Peterson would solve all of the Jaguars’ problems, as I put a large emphasis on the Jaguars’ struggles with Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne. However, the Jaguars do need to change something to help this offense stay on the field for longer. Right now, the Jaguars offense is too dependent on the deep pass, and they are failing to generate consistent positive plays in the run game. With Doug Peterson being an offensive-minded coach, he needs to get his side of the ball right quickly, or else he will be gone by mid-season.
