One of the most disappointing seasons in Jaguars history ended just like it began, with a close and frustrating loss.
That’s been the theme for head coach Doug Pederson and the Jaguars, who lost their 10th game by a touchdown or less Sunday against the Colts, 26-23 in overtime, which officially starts the clock on a much-needed offseason.
Recommended Videos
The Jaguars made a game of it late, with Cam Little tying things at 23-all with 1 minute and 49 seconds to play. The Colts got the ball first and saw Matt Gay boot a 38-yard field goal. With one drive to answer, Jacksonville went three and out, the lowlight when Mac Jones lost 16 yards trying to avoid a sack on third down. His 20-yard throw to rookie Brian Thomas Jr. was short and a fitting finish to a forgettable 4-13 season.
Both teams head into uncertain offseasons, although one for the Jaguars that remains in limbo. Due to snowy conditions in Indianapolis, the Jaguars have spent more than four hours on the runway waiting to return to town. As of 11:30 p.m., their plane was still waiting to take off.
Team owner Shad Khan expected the Jaguars to shrug off the finish of 2023 and be a playoff team this year. This 30th Jaguars team is the most expensive in franchise history, with a price tag of more than $252 million, according to Spotrac. For all of that spending, Jacksonville never found a rhythm. The Jaguars are likely headed for a hard reset after going 5-18 in their past 23 games. They will pick No. 5 in the NFL draft. Division rival Tennessee, who the Jaguars beat last week, will pick No. 1. Pederson said that he hoped to return.
“I’ll find out this week. It’s hard to speculate right now. Emotions are running high, obviously, but I hope that I’m still here honestly,” Pederson said. “I feel like we’ve got the makings of being a good football team, and our main guys — one, need to get healthy, and then two, we’ve got to continue to work hard. So, I’m optimistic, and hopefully that happens.”
The Colts are facing a difficult call on franchise quarterback Anthony Richardson, who has missed more games (19) than he’s played (15) since he was the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft. Head coach Shane Steichen has missed the playoffs in both of his seasons in charge, but Colts owner Jim Irsay posted on social media site, X, that Steichen would return.
Jacksonville beat the Colts 37-34 in Week 5 for its first win in 2024 but couldn’t close things out for a season sweep against backup Joe Flacco. Indianapolis (8-9) was eliminated from the playoffs last week, one month after the Jaguars saw their postseason window slammed shut.
“It’s a tough ending to a tough season, but really proud of the guys and the coaches,” Jones said. “Just did a good job trying to finish. The season has sadly been over for a little bit of time here. We’ve been fighting and that’s all you can ask for.”
First-half flurry
The Colts needed just three plays to find the end zone, with Flacco hitting Alec Pierce on a 40-yard touchdown just 64 seconds into the game. The Jaguars responded quickly, moving 70 yards in 10 plays to set Bigsby up for a 1-yard touchdown run. They grabbed a 10-7 lead on a 53-yard field goal by Cam Little to lead off the second quarter before Indianapolis jumped back in front with a 6-yard touchdown run from Jonathan Taylor. They added 36- and 49-yard field goals from Gay to go in front 20-13 at the break. Gay missed a 51-yarder to the right late in the third quarter that would have made it a two-possession lead.
“But for the moment, right now, appreciate every one of those guys in there. They worked their tails off. They worked hard for me,” Pederson said. “They didn’t quit on me, they didn’t quit on each other and they battled to the end. So, these are hard moments, because there’s obviously no more football for the season.”
Bright spots
There have been few to choose from this year but two from the rookie class have star potential. Receiver Brian Thomas Jr. developed into arguably Jacksonville’s best player during the lost year. Thomas broke every rookie receiving record of Jacksonville and became just the seventh in NFL history to surpass 1,200 yards in a season.
Talk about elite company to be in. Thomas joined Puka Nacua (1,486 in 2023), Ja’Marr Chase (1,455 in 2021), Justin Jefferson (1,400 in 2020), Anquan Boldin (1,377 in 2003), Randy Moss (1,313 in 1998) and Odell Beckham Jr. (1,305 in 2014) in that fraternity. The deal to get Thomas remains one of general manager Trent Baalke’s best moves. The Jaguars traded down in last April’s draft, sending pick No. 17 to Minnesota for picks No. 23, No. 167, and third- and fourth-round picks in 2025.
Thomas was Jones’ favorite target against Indianapolis, nearly scoring on the opening drive on a 17-yard catch that went down to the 2. Thomas also had a 41-yard catch late in the first half that set up a 28-yard field goal by rookie Little. Thomas finished with seven catches and 103 yards. He had 1,282 yards on 87 catches and 10 touchdowns this season.
“Just being able to finish out the season healthy means a lot to me. It was a great start, just more to come,” Thomas said.
The kicker from Arkansas, a sixth-round pick, had an exceptional first season. Little hit three field goals Sunday and finished 27 of 29 on the season, including a long of 59 against Detroit. Little was perfect on PATs (27 for 27). His 53-yard field goal with 1:49 left tied things at 23. The 27 field goals is also a rookie record, breaking Jason Myers’ record of 26 set in 2015.
Building blocks
Jacksonville’s elimination from the playoffs last month meant it needed to work on development more than wins. Injuries made some of that a necessity, but rookies and second-year players saw more and more action over the final stretch. Second-year tight end Brenton Strange, forced into a larger role with Evan Engram on injured reserve, had a solid finale against the Colts, a 26-yard strike from Jones down the sideline getting Jacksonville into Indianapolis territory early in the fourth quarter that set up a touchdown. The debate about Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson will live on for years, but Walker at least has settled in.
The No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft sacked Flacco in the fourth quarter and finished with 10.5 sacks, becoming just the second player in franchise history to have double-digit sacks in back-to-back seasons. Calais Campbell was the other player to accomplish it in 2017-18. Walker is eligible for a contract extension this year.
Second-year receiver Parker Washington had just two catches but turned one into a 9-yard touchdown with 7:57 left to tie things at 20-all. Washington is a leading candidate to move into Christian Kirk’s role if the Jaguars elect to move on from the high-priced veteran. Pederson said he didn’t know if he could put his finger on exactly what went wrong this season and how to fix it if he were to return.
“I mean, those are all things that now obviously I get a chance to sit back and take a look at and evaluate. I think that’s what needs to take place. And then you can probably put a finger on the whys. Obviously, we’re all in it together. The accountability is everybody and be able to get that,” he said. “But those are, whatever comes out of that, that’s what we’ve got to fix, right? That’s what we’ve got to fix moving forward.”