The AFC South will go to the winner of the Week 18 game between the Jaguars and Titans, which has led to some suggestions that those teams should rest their starters in Week 17 and make sure they’re healthy and fresh for the division championship game. But Jaguars coach Doug Pederson doesn’t buy it.
Pederson said this morning that the Jaguars’ starters will play on Sunday against the Texans and that he believes there’s always value in playing to win.
“There is never a meaningless game,” Pederson said.
Those words are surprising coming from Pederson, who in his final game as head coach of the Eagles infamously benched quarterback Jalen Hurts for Nate Sudfeld. Pederson sure treated that game like he thought it was meaningless.
And Pederson also rested his starters for the final game of the 2017 season, when the Eagles had already clinched home-field advantage in the playoffs. He treated that game as if it was meaningless as well.
But this week, Pederson says it means something to him to win. And so he’s willing to risk injuries in a game that doesn’t mean anything in the AFC South race.