Doug Pederson: Jaguars will ‘never, ever, ever, ever’ consider resting starters

The Jacksonville Jaguars are going full steam ahead against the Houston Texans in Week 17, despite not having much at stake in the game.

Regardless if Jacksonville wins or loses against the 2-12-1 Texans on Sunday, the Tennessee Titans and Jaguars will play for the AFC South title in Week 18. While there’s a backdoor scenario where the Jaguars get into the postseason with a loss in their finale, it’s a long shot.

Either way, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson doesn’t sound like someone who cares about anything other than winning as many games as possible.

“There is never a meaningless game,” Pederson said at a press conference Monday. “Never, ever, ever, ever. We play to win every game and the only way I rest players is if they’re hurt and can’t go.”

That’s welcome news for fantasy football managers with Jaguars players like Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne Jr, and others in their lineup. But they’ll still have to hope for a much better performance against the Houston defense.

When the Jaguars last faced the Texans, they racked up 422 yards of total offense but never got into the end zone. Lawrence threw two interceptions and the Jaguars turned the ball over on downs three times in a 13-6 loss.

That was the second of five straight losses earlier this season. This time, the teams meet with the Jaguars on a three-game winning streak.