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Doug Pederson has two words for why Jaguars playmakers have been so good: 'Offensive line'

garry smits, florida times-union
·5 min read
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Jaguars offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor (75) has been the key player in protecting quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) in the last two games. Lawrence hasn't been sacked in those games, the first time since 2007 that a Jags' quarterback has gone consecutive games without being tackled behind the line of scrimmage.
Jaguars offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor (75) has been the key player in protecting quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) in the last two games. Lawrence hasn't been sacked in those games, the first time since 2007 that a Jags' quarterback has gone consecutive games without being tackled behind the line of scrimmage.

Despite all of the big plays by wide receivers and running backs and the poise and command of quarterback Trevor Lawrence in leading the Jaguars to a 38-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, coach Doug Pederson had two words after the game when asked to explain the versatility or the playmakers on this team.

“Offensive line,” he replied, without hesitation.

It was much the same sentiment Monday at TIAA Bank Field after he had a chance to review video of the game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., the Jaguars’ first road victory in 18 games, their first on the West Coast since December of 2019 and Lawrence’s first road victory as a starting quarterback.

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“It has just improved each week,” Pederson said of his starting unit of rookie center Luke Fortner, guards Brandon Scherff and Ben Bartch and tackles Jawaan Taylor and Cam Robinson. These guys do a great job as far as communication. It starts [at] center inside with Luke and spreads from there. [Line coach] Phil Rauscher does a great job preparing these guys … they’re keeping the quarterback clean and still being effective in the run game.”

It won't get any easier this week at Philadelphia (1 p.m., CBS). The Eagles had nine sacks and 17 quarterback hits in a 24-8 victory over Washington, with ends Brandon Graham and Josh Sweatt combining for four sacks and eight pressures.

But the Jags have scored 84 points in the first three games (they had 63 during the same span last season), Lawrence is sixth in passer rating (103.1) and is tied with Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes for being sacked the least in the league with only two.

Jags not beating themselves

One of the problems in recent seasons for the Jags offensive line has been penalties: holds, false starts, offside — you name it.

It looked like more of the same in the opening game at Washington when the Jaguars had five penalties that could be attributed to the offensive line. In addition, Lawrence was sacked twice and took 10 hits.

Since then, the line has been hit with only one penalty (a holding call on Robinson during the 24-0 victory over the Colts), Lawrence has not been sacked and he’s been pressured only four times.

Jaguars tackle Jawaan Taylor credits his improvement in the early season with being pushed in training camp by Walker Little (72).
Jaguars tackle Jawaan Taylor credits his improvement in the early season with being pushed in training camp by Walker Little (72).

After the running game averaged only 2.6 yards per attempt vs. Indianapolis, it improved to 4.2 yards on Sunday and James Robinson had his first 100-yard game in nearly a year.

Taylor has been near-flawless

On several levels, the most effective lineman this season has been Taylor. The University of Florida graduate and fourth-year pro has yet to allow a sack or even a pressure on Lawrence in 212 snaps, and also has yet to be hit with a penalty this season.

That’s after Taylor was the most-penalized player in the NFL in his first three seasons in the league with 32 accepted flags from 2019-21.

Taylor said the continuity the line has and its improved communication skills have made all the difference. The starting line has played 210 snaps out of a total of 217 (Taylor missed five in the first game with cramps — the first five snaps he’s missed as a pro), Scherff and Robinson came out for one play each on Sunday and Bartch and Fortner have played every snap.

“Just gelling together, trying to get better every week,” Taylor said on Monday. “Just keep doing great things and getting better.”

Taylor credited the pressure put on him by the coaching staff in training camp with his improvement. Second-year tackle Walker Little was given every opportunity to beat Taylor out and Taylor held onto his job.

“The competition definitely helped,” he said.

Taylor also said he’s motivated by the memory of his father, who passed away in January.

Long drives, no negative plays

The offensive game plan against the Colts negated sack opportunities because Lawrence got the ball out of his hands so quickly on short timing routes. But the Chargers came out prepared for those patterns and the line had to buy Lawrence a bit more time.

They did just fine — such as the first touchdown on a 14-yard pass to Zay Jones in which Lawrence rolled to his right after being flushed from the pocket.

“Any time we’ve got to get the ball further down the field we [have] to protect a little longer,” Taylor said. “We know what we’ve got to do to get the job done.”

The Jaguars had not gone two games without a sack since 2007.

The Jags also have sustained drives in the last two weeks, with seven possessions that lasted 10 or more plays.

“It helps a lot for the defense,” said tackle Dauwane Smoot. “The best defense is not to be on the field. We’re happy with the production of the offense.”

Jags prepared for Ian

Pederson said the Jaguars haven't changed their current practice or travel schedule but are prepared in case the track of Hurricane Ian changes for the worse. The current forecast calls for the area to experience tropical-force winds (39 mph or higher) and heavy rain beginning Wednesday night and into Friday.

"Those are things we have to take into consideration," Pederson said. "We've got people in-house that are monitoring that situation for and we'll be prepared either way if we stay and we'll be prepared if we have to move out of here for some reason."

The Jaguars had a road game the last time a hurricane threatened the area, Irma in 2017. They left for Houston, as usual, on a Saturday, but stayed in Houston an extra day until the storm cleared the area.

Edwards signed by Titans

The Jaguars lost a defensive lineman Monday when the Tennessee Titans announced they had signed Mario Edwards Jr. off the Jags practice squad to their 53-man roster.

Edwards, who played at Florida State, was signed by the Jags on Sept. 4, five days after being cut by the Chicago Bears.

The Jaguars have not yet announced a signing to replace Edwards.

Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Doug Pederson credits Jaguars' offensive production to offensive line