Jaguars HC Doug Pederson concedes offense limited somewhat by Trevor Lawrence's health

The Jacksonville Jaguars landed on the wrong end of a surprisingly lopsided loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10, a game in which almost nothing worked offensively for the Jaguars.

A logical explanation for such a defeat could exist within the health of quarterback Trevor Lawrence (knee), who has put together a solid season, but hasn't advanced to a level of achievement most expected from him in 2023. 

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson attempted to delve into why the Jaguars haven't quite reached that point yet, and why they were essentially helpless in the 34-3 loss.

"Sure, one of the things that we haven't been able to do because of Trevor's condition with his knee is just move him a little bit more," Pederson told reporters on Wednesday. "Sometimes, you can create things off of that. He's been limited that way. 

"Play-action pass can be an opportunity to shoot the ball down the field on first or second down, the screen game you've seen hit a little bit. Those are ways to create some explosives. Sometimes, just drop back and throw it. Just run past and use your speed on the perimeter. Try to take advantage of that while you're seeing teams do it in different ways."

Play action wasn't much of a viable route against San Francisco because of a deficit that grew to 20-3 early in the third quarter. Jacksonville also didn't run the ball well enough to make it a legitimate factor in the passing game, finishing with 59 net rushing yards in a game that became increasingly reliant on the pass as the 49ers built their advantage on the scoreboard.

Still, it was a 13-3 game at halftime. That difference didn't eliminate the run entirely, at least not yet, leaving some to wonder why Jacksonville's offense dug itself into a deeper rut