Jaguars' Pederson: 'I have not lost the locker room'

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson denies the rumors that he's lost the locker room after a 0-4 start to the season.

"I would know. I talk to these guys every day. I see them every day. And no, I have not lost the locker room," Pederson said Wednesday, according to Mia O'Brien of 1010 XL. "I think these guys have done everything I've asked. They continue to play and practice hard and battle and it’s a good group, the right leaders in there. They know what we need to do. They're not making excuses for it and I'm not gonna make excuses. We've just got to go do it.”

Jacksonville's poor start has led to questions about Pederson's connection with the players and his future with the team. Following Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Houston Texans, Pederson labeled a question about his job security as "weird." When asked to expand on that idea Wednesday, Pederson explained that tough times are part of the NFL experience.

"Obviously, you're gonna go through some setbacks in this league and there's going to be some times where you're gonna come on some hard times," Pederson added. "That's just part of this game. I've been there before, done that before, and we've always battled back."

The Jaguars are off to their first 0-4 start since 2021, the season prior to Pederson's hiring. The offense ranks 29th in scoring while the defense is 30th in points allowed. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence also appears to have regressed, completing a career-worst 53.3% of his passes for four touchdowns to one interception.