How Patriots Could Influence Struggling Team To Fire Head Coach

There’s no guarantee Doug Pederson still will be coaching the Jaguars in Week 7.

But if the Super Bowl-winning coach does survive Jacksonville’s fifth loss in six games, the Patriots could put the final nail in Pederson’s coffin.

After a gutsy Week 5 win over the AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts, the Jaguars returned to misery with an embarrassing 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears in London. The lopsided affair marked the second time this season that Trevor Lawrence — one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — was put on the bench while Mac Jones handled mop-up duty.

The idea of Jones taking over behind center in Jacksonville is no longer ridiculous, but Lawrence isn’t the only high-ranking Jaguar whose job security is dwindling. So too is Pederson, who might be coaching to keep his tenure alive when Jacksonville plays its second consecutive contest across the pond.

Next weekend should be a get-right game for the Jaguars. The Patriots might be the worst team in football, and the odds will be stacked against them when they take the field at Wembley Stadium. New England is dealing with a slew of injuries to key players, recently underwent a quarterback change and will be rolling with a rookie making his second career professional start.

Losing to the lackluster Patriots — even in a competitive showdown — would be utterly embarrassing for the Jaguars. It would be made to look even worse if Drake Maye shines, as it would mark the second straight week Jacksonville was outclassed by a first-year signal-caller. If all of that comes to pass — which admittedly is a big if — it would be tough to imagine Pederson makes it through customs with his Jaguars head coach title intact.

New England won’t be a playoff team this season, so all of its games the rest of the way will be for pride and trying to drag teams down to the cellar. Next Sunday could be a scenario where the Patriots take advantage of a team on the ropes and relish in their suffering.