When the Jacksonville Jaguars went into the locker room at halftime Saturday, the team was fortunate to only be down 20.
A five-turnover first half afforded the Los Angeles Chargers plenty of opportunities to rack up points, but not all of those chances were capitalized on. Then a Jaguars touchdown late in the second quarter cut the score to 27-7.
The second half was all Jaguars, though. In the last 30 minutes, Jacksonville outscored the Chargers, 24-3, to roar back and steal a win. Did Doug Pederson lay into his team at halftime to dial up the intensity? Not quite.
“I was internally frustrated, obviously, with how we played,” Pederson told NBC’s Peter King. “But I went in and told the team, ‘One play at a time. Chip away. Defense, you’re starting the second half—get us a stop. Offense, we gotta score every time we touch the ball.’ I knew we could get back into the football game.
“It was the strangest 27 points given up I think I’ve ever been a part of. It didn’t feel like we were out of the football game, which is crazy to say. That was just Trevor [Lawrence]’s demeanor too, the whole offense. And the team felt that.”
The cool and collected reaction from Pederson to a 20-point halftime deficit isn’t surprising to anyone who has paid attention to the coach in his first season with the Jaguars. Staying even keel has been a consistent theme for the young team this season.
Jacksonville is also no stranger to comebacks this season, erasing multiple double-digit deficits this year before the mammoth 27-point rally Saturday.
The Jaguars coach is not one to panic and his team has come to resemble that quality. It served the team well Saturday and it’ll undoubtedly serve the Jaguars well again in the future.
