During the early part of the season, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense looked like one of the worst in the entire league. Though it has been solid against the run the whole way, ranking in the upper half of the league, it was abysmal against the pass.
In the first seven games, the team allowed more than 250 passing yards in every game (and 300+ in five of those seven). That would be frustrating enough if it came against a string of elite passers, but instead, the Jags were allowing big days to the likes of Tyrod Taylor, Teddy Bridgewater, Joe Burrow, and even Tua Tagovailoa in the Week 6 win over Miami.
The Jaguars’ performance in the win over Buffalo last week caught many by surprise as they shut down Josh Allen and forced three Bills turnovers. Though they did allow 301 total yards, they held Buffalo to just six points in a three-point win that didn’t feature any touchdowns for either team.
But perhaps that shouldn’t have been as surprising as it was.
Though the Jags lost 31-7 to the Seattle Seahawks the week before, the defense was much more solid than that score would have you believe. Jacksonville outgained Seattle by 80 yards, holding it to just 229. Quarterback Geno Smith had an efficient day, completing 21-of-24 passes, but for the first time in the 2021 season, the Jaguars held the opposing quarterback to under 200 yards.
The Jags’ performance against Indianapolis on Sunday proved that their play the last two weeks was no fluke. Though the team gave up 23 points, only 16 of those can be blamed on the defense as Indianapolis scored on a blocked punt returned for a touchdown in the first quarter. The Jags found themselves in an early 17-point hole, but the defense held Indy to just three second-half points and very nearly allowed the team to come back and win.
Quarterback Carson Wentz completed just 64.7% of his passes and was held to 180 passing yards. Jonathan Taylor, the NFL’s second-leading rusher, had a good day, which was to be expected. He had 116 yards on the ground, but 34 of those came on the very first play from scrimmage and 52 of them came on the first drive alone, which only resulted in a field goal. Taylor was always going to have some success, but it wasn’t insurmountable for the Jaguars.
The Jags are getting a lot of pressure off the edge from Josh Allen, who’s having a great third season, and DaVon Hamilton and Taven Bryan have been playing much better on the interior. The secondary is still a bit shaky, but the increased playing time for Rudy Ford at the nickel spot has proven to be a good call.
The hiring of a first-time defensive coordinator in Joe Cullen, who was previously the defensive line coach in Baltimore, has been widely panned. But the unit is undoubtedly getting better, and while it seemed like the team’s biggest weakness earlier in the season, it’s now the strength. The Jags just need offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s group to catch up.