AFC Notes: Doug Pederson, Jeffery Simmons, C.J. Stroud, Jaguars, Texans, Titans

Jaguars

Jaguars HC Doug Pederson told reporters after Sunday’s blowout loss to the 49ers that he thought the team was ready to go, but the lack of execution ultimately did them in.

“I thought the team was ready. We failed to execute on the opening drive defensively and we failed to execute on the opening drive offensively,” Pederson said, via Pro Football Talk. “That’s the part that is disappointing. Because these guys were ready to go. To have the lack of execution like we did early in the football game, just kind of snowballed from there.”

While the results were poor, to say the least, Pederson is hoping that this could serve as “a little bit of a wakeup call.”

“They know what they’re doing, and they did it well today. For us, we’re still trying to get there,” Pederson said. “I told the team again, we haven’t done anything here. We’re trying to be like that.

“We’re trying to have that consistency and to me, this will be in some ways good for our players. A little bit of a wakeup call, quite honestly, myself included — coaches, players, we all have to think about what are we willing to give up these next eight games so we don’t do this again. I think our players will rebound, they always have and we look forward to next week.”

• Pederson says that Jamal Agnew and Tyson Campbell will both undergo further testing after sustaining injuries. (John Shipley)

Texans

Texans first-round QB C.J. Stroud added to his growing legend on Sunday, putting together his second game-winning drive in as many weeks, this time to beat a red-hot Bengals team at home. It wasn’t as clean for Stroud as it has been, as the rookie threw an awful interception that helped Cincinnati get back into the game in the fourth quarter while Houston was trying to kill clock. But it was just his second pick of the season and Stroud more than made up for it at the end. 

“I made this game a little harder than it needed to be, turning it over,” Stroud said via NBC Sports’ Peter King. “But it in this league, it’s hard. It’s hard to get wins. We’re all good. Today, I loved the attention on us. Everybody’s watching to see if the Texans can come to a tough place and win. I love that. I love the attention. I love the pressure. That’s the thing about our team — I’m telling you, we don’t go into any game thinking we can’t win, we won’t win. I’m not made that way.”

• Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. on his first game back from a hamstring injury: “I felt good. Everybody was taking care of me. Steve took care of me every time I needed him, he came in. Pitre was taking care of me. Everybody was making sure I was good out there.” (Aaron Wilson)
• Texans CB Steven Nelson on playing through neck and back injuries: “It was rough, it was a rough week for me. I was trying to get back. Obviously, I made the trip and I was able to contribute.” (Wilson)

Titans

The Titans have dropped four of their last five games and the frustration is starting to boil over. Titans DT Jeffery Simmons told reporters after the game that he’s “tired of losing” and they “need to start finding a way to win the game.”

“I’m tired of losing,” Simmons said, via TennesseeTitans.com. “We need to start finding a way to win the game. We need to make more plays on defense, and put the offense in good position. And, at the end of the day, we have to score more points. We have to score points, and we have to get off the field — that’s pretty much what it is. They had 20 points, and we had six. We didn’t do enough to win the game.”