JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022
DOUG PEDERSON:
Q. You tried to attack the Broncos’ defense with the run, but you found problems with the passing,
especially with the red zone. What are your thoughts about this?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, it’s been an area that we’ve kind of struggled in all season. You know, we kind
of pride ourselves on trying to get touchdowns once we get into the red zone, but it’s something as a
staff we really have to take a look at and make sure we are putting our players in situations there and
plays that they can be successful in.
It’s got to be a collective effort. Coaches, players, offensively, just making that conscious effort to get
better.
Q. Obviously Trevor didn’t make a good decision there on the 1st and goal; any second-guessing on
your part throwing the ball on 1st and goal from the 1?
DOUG PEDERSON: No, because it’s 1st and goal. It’s a relatively safe play. If it’s not there — and Trevor
knows this — just throw the ball, just sail the ball, and you’ve got two to three more downs to do
whatever you want to do there.
I can definitely do a better play call, obviously, but at the same time, defensively as they packed the box,
just trike to get one-on-one with Christian and Trevor really. They did a nice job of taking that away.
We’ve just got to learn from it, throw the ball away, live to play 2nd down and take our chance that way.
Q. Was that interception eerily reminiscent of the one against the Texans where you wanted him to
make a similar decision throwing it out of the back of the end zone?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah.
Q. How do you coach out those mistakes?
DOUG PEDERSON: You just keep coaching it. You just keep showing him. You just keep teaching. That’s
why we as coaches do what we do. We’ve got to continue to teach and just show Trevor and a lot of the
players just those situations, and those are always the critical ones that seem to raise their head in
games like this when it comes down to a one-score game.
It’s just unfortunate, but we’ve got to be smart, I think both coaches and players collectively, in those
situations.
Q. It keeps coming down to a one-score game. How does the team overcome that? How do they get
beyond losing that one-score game?
DOUG PEDERSON: I’ll tell you what, my hats off to those guys in the dressing room. They battle their
tails off.
We just keep plugging. We just keep plugging away, and we keep practicing and we keep learning and
we keep teaching, and we keep scratching and fighting.
I truly believe that good things are going to happen for this football team. We’re sitting here after eight
games, not where we want to be, obviously, but to every man in there, nobody is going to hang their
head. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us.
We’re not going to make excuses. We’ve just got to continue to work.
Q. Coach, now you’ve experienced a London game as Jags’ head coach. Despite the result, what do
you think the future of the franchise can hold over here in London?
DOUG PEDERSON: Well, they’re obviously well respected here, and I believe Shad, our owner, does a
great job of marketing. A lot of Jags fans over here, and it was great to see today.
I think it’s just a relationship that we continue to build on each and every year and enjoy coming over
here, and just wish it were a better result.
Q. Big game from Travis Etienne today; was that what you expected from him?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yes.
Q. Would you like to see more of that from No. 1?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yes.
Q. How much more of that can you get from No. 1?
DOUG PEDERSON: A lot. Got another one?
Q. Could you have asked anything more from —
DOUG PEDERSON: No, listen, he played great today. He played tough. He played physical. He’s a good
football player, and again, we’ve just got to continue to find ways to get the ball in his hand.
Q. Overall defensively, got some big plays and then at the end couldn’t quite hold them.
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, we started the game extremely well. We got a turnover early and just got after
the quarterback a little bit there, and then it’s just — listen, it’s a 60-minute football game, and we’ve got
to continue to play for 60 minutes and keep the pressure on.
I thought the D-line did a nice job. When they needed to get a pass rush, they got the pass rush there,
and that was good to see today.
Again, we needed to find a stop at the end. Again, as coaches, we look at those situations and did we do
our part to put our players in position to make those plays.
Q. You’ve preached patience since before the year started; were these the kind of close games that
you anticipated going into the season when you started saying, hey, be patient, it’s a young team,
there will be growing pains?
DOUG PEDERSON: I think so. You know, obviously these last couple of weeks are tough, tough to take.
Especially as hard as the guys work and play.
What I’m proud of, the guys are playing for 60 minutes. They’re playing until the end.
Honestly, nobody likes to lose, right? That’s the nature of the game. But if I had to pick, I’d rather pick
these types of games than blowout games where you lose. I think you learn more in losses like this as a
team, where we are with the culture of our team, than you would in a blowout loss.
My hats off to the guys; nobody is going to hang their heads. We’ve just got to keep fighting.
Q. When you see your guys fight until the very end like that, does that give you the hope that it’ll start
paying off —
DOUG PEDERSON: I do, yeah, I believe that. I believe that we keep fighting and keep working the way
they’re working, good things will pay off eventually. We’re just looking for that one to get it kind of
started, and then we just build off of that.
That’s kind of where we are.
Q. What, if anything, did you say to Trevor either after the first interception or after the last one?
DOUG PEDERSON: I mean, listen, we still have a lot of trust and a lot of faith in him. We’re just going to
continue to grow. We’re going to grow together.
I just told him to keep his head up, stay confident. I want to put the ball back in his hands and just show
the trust that we have, that I have in him and that the team has.
He knows that we’ve got to be better in a few situations, but again, those are really good learning
opportunities for Trevor.
JAGUARS QB TREVOR LAWRENCE
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022
Q. Trevor, how do you get past this feeling? Coach Pederson talked about learning how to win.
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yeah, it’s obviously frustrating. We say the same thing every week. It’s tough.
Same thing that I’ve said every week when I stand up here; obviously I’m pretty upset and frustrated and
disappointed in myself and the way I finished the game.
Just have to continue to find ways to win these games, like I’ve said.
You know, regardless of mistakes throughout the game, at the end we’ve just got to find ways to rally
and go make the play. There on the last drive, felt like we had all the confidence in the world stepping
out there, and then first play I threw it a little bit behind Christian, and the nickel made a good play and
picked it. That’s just kind of the way it ended.
That’s tough being the quarterback and having an opportunity to go win the game and you don’t get it
done. That’s really disappointing and frustrating, and I’ve got to look in the mirror and I’ve got to play
better. There’s that and then there’s the goal line interception. There’s a couple plays I really want back,
but you don’t get them back at this point.
It’s finding ways to overcome those. Obviously in the last play of the game there, you can’t overcome
that because the game is over. Even throughout the game we kind of sputtered a little bit on offense,
and we’ve got to find more ways to rally around each other, get back on track. I thought we did that the
second to the last drive. Put together a good drive with good field position there to start and went down
there and scored.
And after that we had 1:40 with two time-outs left and plenty of time. No panic, no rush at all, and I’ve
just got to get the drive started and get us moving, and I wasn’t able to do that.
You know, it’s definitely a tough feeling when you come all this way especially and you’ve got guys that
are working so hard to win, and you’re doing everything you can and just not being able to finish the
game there.
But all we can do is just keep going to work, keep doing what we’ve been doing. We know how close we
are, but that’s not really the point of this thing. It’s to go win games.
It’s going to — moments like this will make it a lot sweeter when we do turn that corner and we start
winning a bunch of games and doing all the things we know we’re capable of here, and I’ve got no doubt
that’s going to happen.
I’ve got to play better, and I’ll leave it at that. I didn’t play well enough today to win.
Q. What did you say to the team as you came off the field after that interception at the end, to the
rest of the players?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Just there I’m kind of taking it in and just obviously a bad moment there, not a
good play by me. Just disappointing. There was a couple guys that came up to me, told me to keep my
head up and all that stuff. We great team, guys that are really supportive. Had some conversations in
the locker room with those guys, and the biggest thing is there’s still so much season left and we’ve got
to keep our heads up and we’ve got to keep going to work. That can’t change.
Obviously another tough game that came down to the wire that we weren’t able to finish, and that’s
going to turn, and we’ve got to just keep putting the work in. We’ve got to keep showing up every day,
preparing the same way, and just go finish these games and turn the corner and start stacking them.
I believe we’re going to do it, but gosh, I wish it would have started today. That’s what’s really
disappointing, is we felt like it was going to start today and just didn’t finish.
Q. On the first interception when you’re rolling out to the right, did you think you could squeeze that
ball to Zay? Because the safety who made the interception was maybe a little bit hidden from you —
TREVOR LAWRENCE: To Zay there? I think it was Marvin in the back of the end zone —
Q. It was Marvin and not Zay?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: It was Marvin. The play we had on, trying to get the ball to Christian and the nickel
did a really good job covering him. I kept extending the play and I had Marvin on the back line; just
didn’t put enough touch to get it over.
The safety was really just on the goal line, kind of reading my eyes, running with me, mirroring me. I had
Marvin in the back of the end zone. I just threw it too low and the safety made a great play.
The thing you look back and say is you put it in a spot where only your guy can get it, and if he catches it,
great, touchdown; if not, it’s incomplete. Probably obviously not the best location for the ball there.
But really don’t think that it was necessarily the wrong decision, just didn’t throw a good ball and didn’t
keep it away from those guys on the goal line. So yep.
Q. Are you worried about the poor efficiency in the red zone with the team?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: I mean, worried, no, because I know what we’re capable of, but there’s a sense of
urgency where we have to be better, and that’s like you talk about, the turnover in the red zone we’ve
had, we had one last week, had another one this week, and those are just points you’re taking right off
the board.
We’ve got to be better in that way. I thought our defense did a great job today of keeping us in the
game when we sputtered on offense, but if you look back at that possession where we’re on the goal
line, should have scored, that’s a big — that’s a seven-point swing, and then you look at the end of half
where I had the intentional grounding and should have just taken the short route out to the field and
probably get us in field goal range and have a chance to get three points there right before halftime.
There was a couple plays I really want back that hurt us and kept points off the board for us, and those
are things that we’ve got to get better at and I’ve got to get better at.
Q. Despite the loss, what do you think your lasting memory of playing at Wembley for the first time
will be?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: It’s a little hard to think about that after you lose the game.
It was a great atmosphere. It’s always fun playing over here. The fans are great. Just to see the support
for the Jags, it’s always cool. We’re really appreciative of the fans. Obviously it sucks when you don’t
finish the game, don’t win. But still appreciate all the fans here that came out, especially the Jags fans,
so thank you to all you guys out there.
Q. Could you talk a little bit about the job that Travis did today, 156 yards rushing? Usually a recipe for
winning when you have those kind of numbers from a back.
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yeah, he’s continuing to show what kind of player he is and what he’s going to be in
this offense. He ran his tail off today, so just honestly proud of that guy. He’s doing some great things.
Yeah, so you should win the game when you rush for 150, especially just from one player.
We’ve got to find ways to go finish. He had a great game, but we’ve all got to be better.
Q. How do you eliminate those couple of plays each game that can be the difference between winning
and losing?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yeah, I mean, I think it’s just constantly training yourself in every situation.
Obviously when you have a play called and you get the coverage you want and the match-up you want,
when you’re going with the ball that’s not the hard part.
It’s when they give you a look that really you don’t want for that play or you weren’t expecting or
whatever, and that’s when you’ve got to be smarter. Personally, I’ve got to be smarter in a few of those
situations.
I think there was a couple times where I could have just taken the completion and kept us on schedule
and I think once or twice I looked for a little bit more when I probably shouldn’t have.
It’s all those plays. And I know I’ve prepared myself. I’ve watched the tape. I know what they’re going to
do on defense. But there’s always those times where it’s a good disguise or it’s a pressure or whatever,
and it’s all about how you react in those moments.
I need to be cleaner and just keep us on schedule, don’t make a bad play worse. We talk about that all
the time.
Yeah, I think just keeping us in good situations, manageable situations because we’re really, really good
when we’re in 2nd and 5, 3rd and 5, manageable situations. When we get behind the sticks, especially
against that team. That’s kind of where they’ve lived this season is keeping people in 2nd and 3rd and
long and that’s where they’re really, really good.
That’s going to be the message every week. But yeah, just handling those situations better for myself
and really just all the way around.
Q. What was different in your preparation this week? You had a different head coach last year when
you came here for the first time. What was different this week compared to last year?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Not much was different. Obviously we have a lot of different plays, a lot of new
players and new coaches. But as far as travel, I think it was the same, the same timing as last year when
we got into town.
I thought we handled the time change and the adjusted schedule really well, and it was really similar to
last year. I thought we were prepared. I thought the guys were ready to play. I thought all that was fine.
JAGUARS RB TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022
Q. How hard is it when you have a big game like that but the team comes up short overall?
TRAVIS ETIENNE: I feel like just being a competitor, it sucks. I feel like when you have an L in the stats it
doesn’t matter. Although we did some good things out there, we didn’t come out with a W, so therefore
I didn’t do enough to win the game.
Have to go back to the drawing board, have to watch film, look at things I can get better at. Feel like
there’s a couple plays I probably could have got a little more out of something, and I have to just critique
myself, keep being my biggest critic and keep getting better, so that way the outcomes are not L’s and
they’re W’s.
Q. How tough is it to stomach these close losses?
TRAVIS ETIENNE: It’s really hard. It’s really hard because we’re out here, we work each and every week,
we go there and we put our best foot forward every time. It’s just something that you work all your life
for and you’re just not getting the result that you want, but you just have to keep your head forward
and keep hitting the rock, just keep hitting the rock.
Eventually it’s going to break, and I feel like once it breaks, it’s going to be great things for us here.
Q. Travis, pretty big workload for you today; how do you feel? How did you come through it? How
fresh were you?
TRAVIS ETIENNE: I feel like I’m a running back, and I feel like you ask any running back that question and
we get better as the game goes because now they tackle us, so I feel like we get better as the game
goes, the offensive line keeps rolling.
And I want to give my shoutout to them. They played a hell of a game. I feel like as a running back you’re
a competitor. Then the team needs you, you make those plays. I feel like throughout the game I just
kept getting better and better of just getting in that zone.
I feel great right now. I’m pretty sure I’ll wake up sore a little bit, but that’s just football.
I’ll do my little rehab and pre-hab to work on the things so I can be better next Sunday.
Q. What did you think of your first game here in London?
TRAVIS ETIENNE: Well, outside of the L, everything else was amazing. I feel like the fans were great. I felt
like just the whole London experience for me was just a great experience. You’re asking me as a little kid
or somebody in high school if I’d be playing football in London, I would have just looked at you and been
like, man, you’re crazy.
But just to have the whole experience and just running out the tunnel and having the fans just yelling, I
never thought people in London knew who I was, honestly. Just had like a little sign the day before and
had a kid come in there and he had my jersey on. And then another man, he was like, man, we got to get
your jersey here.
I feel like that’s a blessing, and I feel like that’s just God — it shows that he’s real. Ask him every day just
to continue that let that light in me shine brighter than the one that’s on me, and all the glory goes to
Him. Just forever thankful.
I feel like London is definitely a place that I’ll get back to. I feel like there’s much love. I had some wings
at the hotel, and I know wings are simple, but they were great. They were really great. I went for like
seconds and thirds, and I tore up the breakfast this morning.
It was cereal — I didn’t find a cereal I liked this morning, that was the only thing, but other than that,
everything else was great.
Q. With these close losses, does the locker room still feel like the arrow is pointing up with this team?
TRAVIS ETIENNE: Definitely. I feel like we’re football players. We’re competitors, and the moment we
lose faith, that’s when everything falls down.
We can’t lose faith. We just have to keep believing. Like we watch film just like y’all guys watch the
game. We know we’re doing great things out there. We know we’re so close. As a team I feel like these
games, we have to gel closer together because that’s the only way we’re going to make it.
I was just telling Trev, it’s never on you. It’s a team sport. As a team sport, we have to come together
and just keep finding ways to be better, and I feel like at the end of the game we just have to keep
finding ways, and when we get this outcome we just have to look in the mirror and come closer as a
team because that’s the only way we’re going to get this done.
Football is played with 11 men on the field at that time a time and not one man is going to be the whole
show. We just have to get 11 on the field, each of us doing our job, and that’s how we’re going to be
better.
JAGUARS DL DAWUANE SMOOT
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022
Q. Dawuane, how frustrating is it for you as a player when these games keep coming down to the end
and you guys can’t quite get over that hump?
DAWUANE SMOOT: I mean, it’s tough. Like you said, we just can’t figure out a way to get over that
hump, but it’s just those two or three plays that we’re just missing.
They go the opposite way and they will end up winning those plays. We’ve just got to find a way to be
able to finish those plays and come out on the right side of those.
Every game has been either three points or has been a score that we’re coming down to the line, and it’s
so close.
We’ve just got to figure out a way to be on the right side of it. That’s it.
Q. Does that kick in the stomach week in and week out make you guys that much more hungry?
DAWUANE SMOOT: Definitely. We see how close we are, we know the things we need to do to win
those things. We’re just coming back to work every day, every Wednesday, every Thursday, we’re
coming to work. It’s like war every day.
We’re making sure that we’re doing those things so we can win, and we’re just coming up short. That’s
all it is.
Q. Is it a step forward at all defensively, three sacks, a takeaway? Hadn’t had that in a few weeks.
DAWUANE SMOOT: Every week we are taking a step forward. We are gelling together each week and
we’re getting better each week. We’re focusing on just covering in the back, rushing up front. We’ve got
the guys up front. We’ve got the guys in the back end, as well, too, to cover. We’ve just got to stick to
what we do best.
Q. What was Doug’s message to the team after this one?
DAWUANE SMOOT: Just keep going. I mean, we’ve got a lot to fight for. We’ve still got, what, nine
games now? There’s still a chance. We’ve still got a lot to fight for. That’s all it is. We just got to keep
going, come back to work on Wednesday and do what we can.
Q. What’s the energy like from the team moving forward after this close loss? All the losses have been
close.
DAWUANE SMOOT: Yeah, today it’s tough, but 24-hour rule. On Wednesday we’re going to come back
fired up and get ready to play the Raiders. That’s all we can focus on. We can’t take back the past. We’ve
just got to move forward.
Q. …maybe spark that pass rush a little bit?
DAWUANE SMOOT: Definitely. I mean, we did a really good job up front, but at the end of the day, what
matters is we’ve got to win. We could have 10 sacks out here and lose and it won’t be anything special.
We have to win at the end of the day, and that’s what we’re trying to do, trying to change the culture.
Q. How did you and the team find the atmosphere here at Wembley?
DAWUANE SMOOT: It’s good. It was a good atmosphere. The fans, they came out. I think it sold out
today, so it was a really good turnout of fans. They really came. It was really loud out there. It was a
good experience.
