The Jacksonville Jaguars fired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on Monday after the team lost its seventh straight game Sunday.
"We would like to thank Nathaniel for his hard work and dedication to the Jaguars organization, and we wish him and his family the best moving forward." coach Doug Marrone said in a statement. "These are always tough decisions, but as the head coach, I have to do what I think is best for this football team."
Hackett was in his third season as the Jaguars' offensive coordinator. He also was Marrone's offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills in 2013 and '14.
"I guess he didn't think I was good enough, that's the only thing I can think of. It's a shock," Hackett told NFL Network on Monday.
"I knew Doug had thought about it. I guess the football Gods had it out for me. We started off hot, had so many injuries, we were a completely different team. Guys busted their butts, but you can only do so much. I wish I could've figured something out," he added to NFL Network.
The change comes after the Jaguars lost 24-21 at Buffalo in a game in which quarterback Blake Bortles passed for just 127 yards. The week before, Bortles posted a season low with 104 yards passing in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelersin which the Jaguars blew a 16-point lead.
The Jaguars started the season 3-1, including a victory over the New England Patriots, but have fallen to 3-8 and are in last place in the AFC South a season after reaching the AFC Championship Game.
The Jaguars rank 21st in the NFL in total offense with 3,811 yards and are 28th overall in points per game with a 17.9 average. The Jaguars finished fifth in scoring last season (26.0) en route to a 10-6 record and an AFC South title. Their decrease of 8.1 points per game is the largest drop of any team from last season.
Bortles has struggled this season after signing a three-year extension last offseason with just 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Bortles, who was benched in a game against the Houston Texans last month, has thrown at least 10 interceptions in each of his five NFL seasons. He is completing 60.4 percent of his pass attempts, but his 6.97 yards per completion ranks 29th in the NFL.
The Jaguars have also played most of this season without running back Leonard Fournette, who has missed six games because of injuries. Fournette was ejected from Sunday's game for throwing punches in the third quarter and was unavailable for a key series at the Bills' 1-yard line in which the Jaguars were not able to score a touchdown and ultimately missed a field goal attempt.
ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.
"We would like to thank Nathaniel for his hard work and dedication to the Jaguars organization, and we wish him and his family the best moving forward." coach Doug Marrone said in a statement. "These are always tough decisions, but as the head coach, I have to do what I think is best for this football team."
Hackett was in his third season as the Jaguars' offensive coordinator. He also was Marrone's offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills in 2013 and '14.
"I guess he didn't think I was good enough, that's the only thing I can think of. It's a shock," Hackett told NFL Network on Monday.
"I knew Doug had thought about it. I guess the football Gods had it out for me. We started off hot, had so many injuries, we were a completely different team. Guys busted their butts, but you can only do so much. I wish I could've figured something out," he added to NFL Network.
The change comes after the Jaguars lost 24-21 at Buffalo in a game in which quarterback Blake Bortles passed for just 127 yards. The week before, Bortles posted a season low with 104 yards passing in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelersin which the Jaguars blew a 16-point lead.
The Jaguars started the season 3-1, including a victory over the New England Patriots, but have fallen to 3-8 and are in last place in the AFC South a season after reaching the AFC Championship Game.
The Jaguars rank 21st in the NFL in total offense with 3,811 yards and are 28th overall in points per game with a 17.9 average. The Jaguars finished fifth in scoring last season (26.0) en route to a 10-6 record and an AFC South title. Their decrease of 8.1 points per game is the largest drop of any team from last season.
Bortles has struggled this season after signing a three-year extension last offseason with just 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Bortles, who was benched in a game against the Houston Texans last month, has thrown at least 10 interceptions in each of his five NFL seasons. He is completing 60.4 percent of his pass attempts, but his 6.97 yards per completion ranks 29th in the NFL.
The Jaguars have also played most of this season without running back Leonard Fournette, who has missed six games because of injuries. Fournette was ejected from Sunday's game for throwing punches in the third quarter and was unavailable for a key series at the Bills' 1-yard line in which the Jaguars were not able to score a touchdown and ultimately missed a field goal attempt.
ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.
