This is hilarious. Somewhere Joe Judge* is pounding the table in frustration:

The reason this is a topic is because the Jaguars and Titans play in week 18 for the AFC South. Their games against the Texans and Cowboys in week 17 are ultimately immaterial, so the thought was that Jacksonville might sit guys against Houston and focus on Tennessee instead.

Pederson, via Bobby Kownack at NFL.com:

The two teams face off in Jacksonville with the AFC South crown going to the victor, which creates an intriguing conundrum about how to approach the quasi-bye week inbetween.

Count Jaguars coach Doug Pederson as one who sees no reason to ease off the throttle.

“There’s never a meaningless game,” Pederson said. “Never, ever, ever, ever. You play to win every game. The only way I rest players is if they’re hurt and can’t go.”

Doug is obviously lying through his teeth, because the Eagles skillfully tanked week 17 in 2020 and were rewarded for it with draft positioning that saw them ultimately land DeVonta Smith while screwing the six-win Giants out of the playoffs at the same time. Everybody bitched and moaned and Sal Pal wanted the NFL to “investigate” the Eagles, which amounted to the worst take of that year, but the Birds did what was best for them. Nate Sudfeld and T.Y. McGill should get statues for their efforts in that game. It was tanking to perfection.

Of course, no one really knows if Howie ordered the tank and Doug just executed it, or whether Doug was running the ship himself. Who was up for it and who wasn’t? It doesn’t really matter, because it happened. Point being, it’s funny to hear Big Balls Doug say this after that Washington game, which was less than two years ago.

*Joe Judge is an absolute disgrace to the great borough of Lansdale.