Jaguars' Doug Pederson is not worried about issue most winning teams have

Not many outside of the Jacksonville Jaguars fan base, franchise, and media thought the team would be 8-3 through 12 weeks of the 2023-24 NFL season. But here we are, as the Jaguars are one game out of the first seed overall but sit at the third seed with their name at the top of the AFC South.

Yet, even at 8-3, it feels like this year has had a rollercoaster vibe to it. The Jaguars start out losing two of their first three games, then go on a five-game win streak, then have their worst loss of the season to the San Francisco 49ers, and are now riding a two-game win streak with both wins over division rivals. Until these last two weeks, there has also been a vibe around the Jaguars that their offense has underperformed.

But, like we said, none of that has really affected the team, as they are 8-3, and the next five games are more than winnable. They could very well win the next five or go on a big win streak. Usually, when that happens, winning teams will often get complacent and lose focus.

Head coach Doug Pederson isn't worried about that with his football team.

"No, I'll tell you this: the deeper into the season we get, I think the better we play as a football team," Pederson said, who led his team to a five-game win streak to end 2022.

"It's really easier for me to keep the guys focused and keep their attention to detail. This time of year, too, there's a lot of speculation and talk of playoff picture and seedings and all that stuff. That generates a little bit of interest there. Even though we don't look past the week we're in, you can't help yourself but listening to the outside noise and the media talk about that. For us, this is what I appreciate about our guys, they really stay in the moment, they stay in the present."

That is why Doug Pederson is the perfect guy for the job. You see what he did last year, even when the team started much worse than they did this year. At the midway point, there were a lot of people suggesting the Jaguars should be looking forward to the draft.

Not only do the Jaguars end up going on a five-game winning streak to end the year, but they also win 11 of their last 13 games and win their first playoff game in over four years. They can have a similar finish to the season.

"They just focus on the task at hand and that's just getting better this week. It's fun when you're winning, because you want to continue to play more games and continue to win and have success. The minute you let up, look into the future a little bit, is when you get beat. It's my job to make sure that the guys stay locked in and present."

The Jaguars have a special group of players on their squad, and they are a team not many want to see when the postseason comes around. But, they have to stay focused on the task at hand. Pederson believes they will.