Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has done it again. With the Jaguars down 27-0 against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half of their AFC Wild Card Round playoff game, they mounted a most improbable comeback, eventually winning 31-30 with a last-second field goal. The Jaguars closed as a 2.5-point underdog on BetMGM.
Pulling off the upset in the NFL Playoffs is nothing new for Doug Pederson.
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Doug Pederson Keeps Insane Playoff Underdog Streak Going
Going back to his days as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Doug Pederson has grown accustomed to being an underdog in the NFL Playoffs. Per ESPN’s Paul Hembekides, Pederson has been an underdog in all five of his NFL Playoffs wins: The 2017 NFC Divisional Round against the Atlanta Falcons (2.5-point underdog), the 2017 NFC Championship against the Minnesota Vikings (3-point underdog), the 2017 Super Bowl against the New England Patriots (4.5-point underdog), the 2018 NFC Wild Card Round against the Chicago Bears (6.5-point underdog), and the 2022 Wild Card Round against the Chargers.
Although the line reflected that oddsmakers saw a close game between the Chargers and Jaguars, it certainly didn’t look that way for a while. After throwing four interceptions in the first half, second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence found his groove in the second half, with 200 yards passing, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
“I played with one of the greatest quarterbacks ever in Brett Favre,” Pederson said, per ESPN. “There were times when he didn’t have a great first half [and] came back in the second half and could light it up. That’s what I love about Trevor and his demeanor and his aggressiveness and the ability to just forget and move on. But he’ll be the first one to tell you that it’s not about him. The guys around him, too, made plays. Protection was good. Receivers doing a nice job being where they needed to be.
“But from an individual standpoint, this is really a great performance by our quarterback.”
When the Jaguars got way behind, the live odds to win were as high as 28-1 at Caesars Sportsbook. They certainly are no strangers to being doubted. After falling to 2-6 to start the season, the Jaguars came out of nowhere to steal the AFC South from the Tennessee Titans with a win in Week 18.
Now they’re playing with house money and will undoubtedly be a betting underdog again in the AFC Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. The most likely scenario is that the Jaguars will head to Arrowhead Stadium to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs next weekend. If the Baltimore Ravens pull off an upset Sunday, the Jaguars would avoid playing the Chiefs and would be at the Buffalo Bills in the next round.
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