The Jacksonville Jaguars’ season keeps going downhill and the situation got dicier when safety Andre Cisco said the defense quit during Sunday’s 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears in London.
Jacksonville (1-5) allowed more than 30 points for the third time this season and the 19-point margin of defeat was its second-worst of the season.
“It was really bad,” Cisco told WJAX-TV of Jacksonville after the setback. “I feel like it was … how should I say this … a lot of quit. Last line of defense in a situation like that, you could feel when we’re playing as one and when we’re not. It felt very early in the game, maybe at halftime, that we weren’t playing as one.
“Guys got to understand, when you’re out there, you’re really playing for your brother. You’re putting guys in vulnerable positions whether that’s physically or just from a career aspect. … Just not a good product at all.”
Cisco said the problems don’t stem from a lack of preparation or disorganized practices during the week.
He said they occur when the Jaguars play games.
“On Sunday, that’s when it counts,” said Cisco, who had an interception and seven tackles against the Bears. “There’s no excuse for a lack of effort. Like, that’s literally the least you can do is come out and give effort. And I’m saying that to myself too.”
Jacksonville led 3-0 after one quarter on Sunday before the Bears scored two second-quarter touchdowns. Chicago tacked on another touchdown early in the third for a 21-3 lead.
The Jaguars trailed by 11 entering the final stanza but two Bears touchdowns in a span of 2:27 turned the game into a rout.
Shortly before Cisco delivered his piercing words, Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson called for a culture change.
Pederson doesn’t want the season to get away from the Jaguars this early in the year.
“We play a 17-game schedule, so we’ve got a few more games left,” Pederson said. “Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. We’ve got to change. I say we, it’s all of us — coaches, players, everybody. We’ve got to change right now that culture.
“Otherwise, it just gets out of control. We’re on a slippery slope, or right on the cusp of that slope. At some point we’ve got to (say) enough is enough, and you’ve got to have enough pride and figure out a way.”
Pederson’s coaching future has become the subject of speculation, while owner Shad Khan has been supportive publicly.
However, Khan said prior to the season that he expected the team to reach the playoffs. That’s not looking too good with the Jaguars tied for the worst record in the NFL.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence maintained Pederson has the support of the team.
“That’s our head coach and we’re a team,” Lawrence said. “This is tough. Losing is hard … but it has nothing to do with that relationship and how we feel about Coach. We’re a group. We’re staying together and we know brighter days are ahead. We just have to keep working.”
Meanwhile, the Jaguars play another 1-5 team in the New England Patriots next Sunday, also in London.
Pederson agreed that the contest is a must-win for his squad.
“I would say so,” Pederson said. “I would say everything here on out, quite frankly (is a must-win). If we want to get back to playing the type of football we know we can play, you’re going to have to win a lot of games moving forward. So I would say that, yeah, these games moving forward are just that.”
Cisco expects a better effort against the Patriots.
“The season’s not over by any means,” Cisco said. “The NFL’s built to play until Week 18, and we know that. So it’s not a matter of, like, âOh, season’s over, let’s quit, look towards next year,’ it’s none of that, to me.
“But we understand that it’s a Sunday thing. It’s not a schedule thing anymore — that’s dead. So at this point, everybody’s just gotta understand that Sunday is the time.”
Sunday’s interception was the eighth for Cisco in 53 career games. The fourth-year pro has spent his entire career with Jacksonville and is in his third season as a starter.
