Jaguars collapse raises big questions about Doug Pederson, Trevor Lawrence

Going into their Week 13 Monday Night Football game the Jacksonville Jaguars were 8-3 and had the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Everything seemed to be lined up for them to at the very least win the AFC South. 

But thanks to their 28-20 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon they completed an improbable collapse that not only cost them the division title, it also cost them a playoff spot. 

That loss clinched the AFC South title for the Houston Texans while also clinching playoff spots for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills. 

That collapse has to lead to some massive questions not only for head coach Doug Pederson, but also starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence who lost each of his final five starts to close out the regular season. 

Let's start with Pederson. He arrived in Jacksonville as a proven head coach that was supposed to remove the stink of the Urban Meyer era. When the Jaguars got hot down the stretch last year to steal the AFC South and then win a playoff game, it seemed like he was well on his way to doing that. 

That continued through the first 12 weeks of this season when the Jaguars were in the driver's seat for a home playoff game and maybe even a bye week.

To not even make the playoffs at that point has to fall significantly on the coaching staff. Especially with some of the decisions Pederson made in Sunday's game, ranging from some questionable fourth down calls, to timeout usage to just his overall preparation. 

The Jaguars had everything to play for against a Tennessee team that won five games. The Titans not only won, they punched the Jaguars in the mouth and rushed for 175 yards.

Jacksonville's only win over the final six weeks was against a Carolina team that won two games and finished with the league's worst record.

It was also the only game down the stretch that Lawrence did not play.

Lawrence's play this season — and especially in the second half — has to be the biggest concern for Jacksonville. He entered play on Sunday with an 89.1 passer rating, placing him 24th in the NFL right between Easton Stick and Tommy DeVito. That is not what the Jaguars were hoping for in year three from a No. 1 overall pick that was supposed to be a franchise quarterback. 

Injuries down the stretch definitely limited him, but his decision-making was also bad. He was responsible for seven interceptions in his last five starts — all losses — including two on Sunday. Right now he looks like a solid middle-of-the-pack quarterback. Hardly a star, and definitely not a Super Bowl caliber quarterback at this point. 

The Jaguars had huge expectations this season after winning a playoff game a year ago and adding Calvin Ridley to their offense. They not only failed to build on that, they took a huge step backwards and now have to start asking if they have the right head coach and quarterback in place.