Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson took a big gamble during his team’s game against the Houston Texans on Sunday, and it did not pay off.
The Jaguars were leading 13-7 late in the second quarter when Christian Kirk caught a deep pass from Trevor Lawrence. Kirk was shoved out of bounds at the Houston 1-yard line with just 1 second remaining in the half. Rather than kicking the chip-shot field goal to take a two-score lead, Pederson opted to go for it.
Lawrence pitched the ball to Travis Etienne on 1st-and-goal from the 1. The Texans came up with a huge stop.
TEXANS DEFENSE, STAND UP! 😤
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/TG0DaJ41pg— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 26, 2023
Jacksonville was set to receive the second-half kick, which likely factored into Pederson’s decision. Coaches often go for it in similar situations on fourth down, with the rationale being that the opponent will be backed up near their own end zone even if they make the stop. Pederson knew that Jacksonville was getting the ball first in the second half.
What Pederson did not seem to consider, however, was momentum. The Jaguars looked like they were not even going to get points before the half until Lawrence and Kirk hooked up for a 57-yard gain. You could make the argument that Pederson should have taken the free field goal rather than giving the Texans the opportunity to head to the locker room after making a huge stop.
