Jaguars defense – Syndication Server

Why the Jaguars’ defense, and the ‘other’ Josh Allen, deserve your attention

The 8-3 Jacksonville Jaguars are getting it done with a defense that may have escaped your attention. It’s time to take a closer look.

Quite under the radar, the Jacksonville Jaguars have assembled a 8-3 record, and they’re currently the AFC’s three-seed, behind the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs. The prime mover for this improvement for a team that finished 9-8 last season, snuck into the playoffs, and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round, is a defense that currently ranks fifth in the NFL in DVOA — eighth against the pass, and first against the run.

And the prime mover in that defense is clearly EDGE Josh Allen — the Josh Allen who’s having the better season of the NFL’s two Josh Allen’s. The 2019 seventh-overall pick out of Kentucky has the league’s fifth-most pressures among edge-rushers, and his 13 sacks ranks third.

Against the Houston Texans last Sunday in a 24-21 win, that defense and Allen in particular made rookie phenom C.J. Stroud as uncomfortable in and out of the pocket as he’s been in his professional career. Per Pro Football Focus, Stroud was pressured on 28 of his 46 dropbacks, and that’s exactly what it looked like on tape.

“They really didn’t do too much,” Stroud said after the game of Jacksonville’s pressure looks. “They sent some pressure, but not as much as they did early on [in Week 3, when the Texans beat the Jaguars, 37-17]. They got us a couple of times in some weird fronts with some pressure looks. I’ve got to be better with throwing the ball high and things like that, but they really didn’t do much different. They’re a sound team. They’re up front. Josh Allen and [fellow EDGE Travon] Walker set the tone.”

Allen’s two sacks in this game showed how defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and defensive line coach Brentson Buckner are dialing things up in subtle ways to affect and upset opposing quarterbacks.

The first sack came with 3:14 left in the first quarter. Linebackers Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Lloyd mugged left guard Juice Scruggs. This made it a six-man pressure look with Olokun dropping and Lloyd occupying left tackle Laremy Tunsil, while Allen came off the left edge unblocked — not a great idea. At the same time, safety Tre Herndon blitzed from the other side on a delay from slot depth.

Allen’s second sack came with 2:24 left in the fourth quarter. Here, Allen was to Tunsil’s outside shoulder, and defensive tackle Angelo Blackson was to Scruggs’ outside shoulder. Blackson occupied Scruggs, and then Allen just made a great play, slipping through Tunsil and Scruggs and chasing Stroud down. This is a defense that can get after your quarterback in multiple ways.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys go deep on this Jacksonville defense, the secret stars that make it work, and how this can set the Jaguars up for success as the season continues.

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You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os,” featuring all of Week 13’s biggest NFL matchups, right here:

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NFL Playoffs: How the Jaguars can avoid what the Chiefs did to them in Week 10

If the Jaguars are to contain the Chiefs’ explosive offense, it’ll start with discipline in the back of their defense.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will kick off the divisional round of the playoffs at Arrowhead Stadium, and they’ll have to manage Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs’ explosive offense if they are to make their first AFC Championship game since the 2017 season.

In their week 10 matchup earlier this year, the Jaguars lost 27-17, and Patrick Mahomes went 5-for-5 on throws of 20 or more air yards. Overall, Mahomes finished with 331 yards and a passer rating of 129.6.

Tight end Travis Kelce went for 81 yards on six receptions. Since then, the Jaguars’ defense has allowed 62 yards per game to tight ends, which is the worst number in the league, according to Football Outsiders.

Kelce is an all-timer at the position, so it won’t be an easy task to keep him contained.

Here is what Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell recently said about Kelce, “That’s a thing you talk about and you talk to the players about, being able to understand the game and the way he’s able to find holes in the defense or find weak areas or drift away from a coverage guy in zone coverage, you can tell that from being a former quarterback you can tell that he is able to see the soft spot in the defense, so that’s things we talk about and just have to be aware of it.”

In their last matchup, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid did a great job putting his guys on crossing routes over the middle of the field, testing the discipline of the Jaguars’ secondary.

The Jaguars’ linebackers weren’t deep enough in coverage, and the safeties failed to switch off their matchups when routes were run into their zones.

In week 18 against the Las Vegas Raiders, safety Duron Harmon showed a great switch when Kelce crossed behind his linebacker and so he picked up the other crossing route going deep.

Now, the result of this play was because the backside safety didn’t cover his half of the field and help the corner. But the switch off of Kelce, from the free safety, was smooth.

Reid does a fantastic job forcing the safeties and less experienced secondary players into tough situations.

He did this in their first matchup, putting pressure on cornerback Tre Herndon and safety Andre Cisco.

If the Jaguars want to keep this game in reach, they must be able to properly switch responsibilities mid-play when in zone defense. Stay on their assignments for as long as possible until the switch. Staying aggressive, not drifting away from their zones.

If the Jaguars are going to go with man coverage, expect Reid to target Herndon. In their last game, Herndon allowed three catches on three targets for 60 yards with an average of 20 yards per reception.

Both offenses should make this game a shoot-out. The Chiefs’ defense is 31st in the league against opposing No. 1 one wide receivers, giving up 81.2 yards per game. The Jaguars are 28th, giving up 65.2 yards per game.

If the Jaguars defense can come up with a few big stops, they have a chance to help their defense win this and shock the football world… but it all starts with the safeties in the back.

Chargers vs. Jaguars: Highlighting Jacksonville’s top defensive players

A look at the Jaguars’ impact defenders that the Chargers must craft their game plan around.

To defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars and avoid an early exit from the playoffs, Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers must avoid a repeat of the shell-shocking performance displayed in their 38-10 loss earlier this season.

Points are expected in this Wild Card rematch, and the Chargers must be prepared to take on one of the NFL’s most-improved defenses

The Jaguars may not tout a hearty selection of household names, but several playmakers have helped transform this unit into one keen to fortify the trenches and take away the football.

The AFC South champs rank fifth in the NFL with 1.6 takeaways per game. In their Week 18 win against the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars swarmed quarterback Josh Dobbs for four sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. The Titans were held scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Additionally, the Jaguars’ 3-4 base defense has been instrumental in quashing the run. Opponents only averaged 4.2 yards per carry (seventh-best in the league) and 114.8 rushing yards per game (12th-best) in 2022. The Jaguars have been especially impressive over the last three weeks of the season, giving up no touchdowns and only 162 yards on the ground.

Here is a look at the three impact players on defense for the Jaguars who the Chargers must craft their gameplan around.

OLB Josh Allen

The Chargers will look to neutralize the best player on the other side. Outside linebacker Josh Allen totaled 57 tackles (11 for loss) and six sacks during the regulars season, the latter of which leads the Jaguars. Allen has also forced four fumbles and recovered two loose balls, including the one forced from Dobbs’ hands that he scooped and returned 37 yards to the end zone. The play earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Allen is a powerful rusher who effectively uses his speed and explosiveness to overwhelm offensive tackles. He can fluidly switch between attacking the pocket to blanketing routes in his zone or out of the backfield. Allen also has a high success rate at backing down blockers with his length to constrict the pocket and create opportunities for other members of the pass rush.

Keeping Allen contained will be key to decreasing the stress on Herbert and maximizing his time to throw.

NT Davon Hamilton

Hamilton, a third-round choice by the Jaguars in 2020, has become one of the team’s best defensive pieces at the nose tackle position. Hamilton garnered 39 tackles and 27 pressures, which included three sacks. His 74.9 PFF grade on the year ranks sixth on the Jaguars. This year, his pass-rush tasks have been expanded and he has shown the ability to win with strength and get upfield with urgency.

However, Hamilton’s best work includes absorbing double teams up front so his linebacker support can swoop in and corral the running back. At 6-4 and 320 pounds, Hamilton is well-equipped to do precisely that. The Chargers didn’t run the ball much in their last outing, but starter Austin Ekeler struggled for just five yards on four carries.

The interior offensive line must win the battles against Hamilton to establish the run and open up play-action pass opportunities.

CB Tyson Campbell

Campbell had a big rookie year in 2021, leading the Jaguars in interceptions and pass breakups while ranking fourth in tackles. With a starting role locked down, Campbell parleyed his first-year success into a sturdier performance that displayed major improvement in coverage against the league’s top targets. Campbell collected three interceptions and nine pass breakups, earning an 81.2 PFF Grade – better than Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Stephon Gilmore.

Campbell was also responsible for a huge play in the win over the Titans, picking off Dobbs with under a minute to play in the third quarter to set the Jaguars up in scoring position. He has good length to stiffen receivers at the line and possesses the awareness to get eyes on the quarterback for opportune plays on the ball.

With Mike Williams out for Saturday’s game with a back fracture, Josh Palmer will get the chance to challenge Campbell on the outside.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense is getting hot in time for the playoffs

Laurie Fitzpatrick explains how the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense has improved just in time for the postseason.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have played their best defensive football in the second half of the season. In a five-game stretch at the end of the regular season, they have 11 forced turnovers, three defensive scores, they lead the league in pressures (114) and they have the ninth best defensive DVOA (-8.9%), allowing only 315.4 yards and 15.6 points per game.

As Adam Stites from our very own Jags Wire points out, “that’s a massive improvement for a defense that allowed 408.6 yards and 27.4 points per game in the seven games prior.”

The Jaguars are now back into the postseason for the first time since their 2017 season, and their defense is a big reason for that.

“We’re just more dialed in and more focused than ever,” Jaguars outside linebacker Arden Key said Saturday night, via 1010XL. “We knew — the first game of the three-game [stretch] in two weeks — we knew what was up. We knew we lose we go home, we win we in the dance. I think everybody across the board just dialed in and focused more on the process.”

Safety Rayshawn Jenkins grabbed two interceptions and one pick-six to beat the Dallas Cowboys in overtime in week 15 and in week 18’s win-or-go-home game against the Tennessee Titans, his forced fumble in the fourth quarter allowed Josh Allen’s scoop and score.

It’s time to look at how this Jaguars defense has been able to put pressure on quarterbacks over these last five weeks; and what they need to do in the wildcard matchup against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers offense.

Jaguars channeling their ‘Sacksonville’ days as they dominate the Colts

Touchdown Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick details how the Jaguars’ defense beat up the Colts, and why “Sacksonville” is back in Duval County.

History repeated itself as the Jacksonville Jaguars once again took down the Indianapolis Colts in Jacksonville. The Jaguars are 4-0 against Frank Reich at home and haven’t lost a to the Colts at home since 2014.

The defense was the highlight of the day for the Jaguars, as they forced a shutout and only allowing the Colts offense to see the red zone twice. Stopping them on both fourth down attempts in the fourth quarter. Matt Ryan only completed 16 passes for 195 yards. The Jaguars defense had three interceptions and totaled five sacks on the day, leaving Ryan with a 34.0 passer rating.

What was even more impressive was how they shut down the Colts’ best offensive player, running back Jonathan Taylor. He ended the day with only 54 yards on the ground.

Here is what Doug Pederson had to say about the defense after the game. “It’s about being physical and just understanding to stay disciplined in your run fits and your eye discipline on things… It was a focus for us this week in practice and [it’s] just a credit to how hard our guys worked to understand and then eliminate the run.”

Let’s dive into the defense, specifically up front, to see how they were able to stop the Colts’ offense with pressure!

Jaguars’ Josh Allen says he ‘lost that dog’ a bit after rookie year

Jaguars LB Josh Allen is trying to recreate his rookie year production. Step one is getting his mind right.

Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher Josh Allen is trying to recreate the production and success he found in 2019 when he finished his rookie season with 10.5 sacks and a trip to the Pro Bowl.

Step one is getting his mind right.

“I’m trying to craft myself, find myself again, find that mentality, that mindset for how I want to approach the game,” Allen told the Florida Times-Union. “I feel like I lost that in bits and pieces. I still had that dog but it wasn’t at a consistent level.”

Allen, 25, finished his second NFL season with just 2.5 sacks in eight games, and ended the year on injured reserve with a knee injury. Last season he bounced back with 7.5 sacks, but it included a stretch of seven straight games without bringing a quarterback down.

In the offseason, the Jaguars provided Allen with some help in the form of No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker and free agent acquisition Folorunso Fatukasi from the New York Jets.

In April, the Jaguars exercised the $11.5 million fifth-year option on Allen’s contract, keeping him with the team through at least the 2023 season.