Jaguars hope London trip can be a 'reset' for the team after two-week slump

Doug Pederson suggested that players might be buying into their own preseason hype after the Jacksonville Jaguars' Week 3 loss to the Houston Texans.

He also admitted that perhaps the team needs to get away for a bit to reset, getting rid of the distractions that come along with press clippings and being in the same environment for too long.

"I don't know if we're, as a team, kind of buying into the hype … reading your press clippings. This is the NFL, man, the NFL and I felt like our guys were ready to go today [Sunday], they had a good week of preparation. I felt like they were in a great spot, the quarterback was in a good spot, but we just can't get our of our own way." Pederson said to Brooks.

The team is getting ready for a nearly two-week trip across the pond to face off against the Atlanta Falcons (Week 4) and the Buffalo Bills (Week 5) in London, something that could be beneficial.

"I think that this trip is hitting us at the right time," Pederson told Jaguars.com analyst Bucky Brooks following the game Sunday.

The Jaguars disappointed mightily Sunday against the Texans, outscored 37-17 with very few positives to show for it.

A trip away can be beneficial for teams. They get to change environments, avoid any distractions and focus on the goals set in front of them. The Jaguars will leave for London on Thursday afternoon before returning on Oct. 9, the day after their matchup with the Bills.

"I'm really hoping that this trip, getting this at the right time. I think it's a good opportunity for us to sort of reset a little bit," Pederson said. "Be together and hopefully be away from distractions. Hopefully, be away from distractions around Jacksonville right now. We got a week to listen to the great publicity that's coming our way and all of that."

Pederson mentioned the words "distracted" and "pressing" multiple times in postgame Sunday and at his press conference on Monday. Buying into the preseason hype and press clippings is something that Jaguars tight end Evan Engram also agreed could be happening to the program.

Regardless, the team will have a couple of weeks away to figure things out, something Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence feels could be a good opportunity if used correctly.

"I think if we use it the right way, it can be good for us," Lawrence said after the loss. "I don't think that we should need that to, you know, get the sense of urgency and to play better and execute. I don't think that we should need that. But if that's what we need, then it's coming at the right time and we're going to take advantage of it. So we'll see."

Ultimately, Pederson does still feel confident in his team and their ability to bounce back.

"I still have to look at it big picture. The sky's not falling. I think we're still a good football team. I think the players believe we're still a good football team. We'll get it fixed, we'll get it turned around, and when we do, this will all be in the past," he said, adding Monday that though the team is entering Week 4, the excuses of "it's early" ended after Sunday.

Wake-up call: Jaguars could draw motivation from Texans debacle as they did after last year's Lions game

Last season, the Jaguars excited their Week 12 matchup against the Detroit Lions without much hope for the postseason. The team, then 4-8, of course, went on to win their final five games of the season, winning the AFC South.

For the 2022 team, their blowout loss against the Detroit Lions 40-14, was the wake-up call they needed to get rolling. Now, it's been suggested that the team's 20-point loss to the Texans could be a similar motivating factor.

When asked about it Monday, Pederson said frankly that he hopes it does.

"I think so. I hope so," Pederson said when asked about Sunday's game about the Lions matchup last year. "I know that this is not who we are as a team. A lot of pride in the locker room, coaching staff. This is what's on tape, right? This is what we're putting out there and Atlanta and Buffalo and all of our opponents the rest of the season, this is what they're seeing. We know that we're a better team."

Ultimately, it's something that Pederson says "needs" to happen, regarding a wake-up call.

Jaguars safety Andre Cisco, who did not play in last year's game against the Lions due to an injury, noted that tough losses can reel in bad memories, but said that ultimately every week is different.

"For the team overall, each [game] is just so different, because of the situation at hand," Cisco said. "Right now, we know it doesn't take us out of anything, but we do have to change our mindset slightly and just understand every Sunday's a different challenge and it starts on Monday."

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X,  formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Doug Pederson hopes team rebounds with two-week London trip on tap