The Jacksonville Jaguars enter their Week 10 home bout against Minnesota with questions surrounding their defensive play which has been, at best, inconsistent since early in the campaign.
Jacksonville’s offense has become a strength as the season has progressed, at least when it has been healthy, with much of its success coming from quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s right arm, the legs of second-year running back Tank Bigsby and the hands of rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
However, the Jaguars’ defense continues to give up numerous big plays every week. The unit currently ranks in the bottom five in points allowed per game and expected points added (EPA) per play allowed.
Jaguars Wire takes a closer look at why the defense has struggled and what improvements are needed at the halfway point.
Inconsistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks
On paper, Jacksonville has enough talent to be an aggressive defense, especially when it comes to getting pressure on the quarterback. First-year defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen relies on his four-man fronts to generate the pressures without the constant need for blitzes.
While the experiment looked promising in Week 1, it has not been successful in the eight games since. The Jaguars have the 11th-fewest pressures in the league, the fourth-lowest quarterback pressure percentage, the sixth-lowest sack rate, and the lowest blitz rate.
Defensive linemen are not winning at the point of attack. Some are not winning their matchups and struggle to generate effective pass-rush moves and combinations to defeat their blocks.
The only exceptions are defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, who have been terrors in recent weeks against opposing offensive tackles. Both pass rushers have 34 pressures each while the rest of the defense has 31 in total.
For the Jaguars to improve their efficiency in chasing the quarterback, Nielsen must begin to be more creative in generating pressure. They also must sacrifice some of their man coverage deployment. This leads to the next issue.
Jacksonville must become more diverse with its coverage calls
In theory, man-heavy defenses can be successful. You need stout defensive linemen in the trenches, especially ones that can generate pressure and win one-on-one matchups consistently.
Linebackers must have the athleticism and fluidity to cover running backs and tight ends. Cornerbacks need to be physically at the line of scrimmage while also bestowing steady technique in their footwork and press jams.
Jacksonville doesn’t have enough of those kinds of players. This defense continues to struggle more often than not in this regard. Its contributors’ skill sets are not fit for man-heavy defenses that force little margin for error.
According to Football Insights, the Jaguars have played man coverage at the second-highest rate in the NFL this season behind Detroit while having one of the lowest zone coverage rates in the league. They are a true Cover 1 and Cover 2-man unit.
Defenses heading into Week 10 pic.twitter.com/1vFmGq7HvK
— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) November 6, 2024
It’s a defense that could turn itself around quickly with more Cover 3 and quarters coverage while maintaining their base looks out of single or two-high.
If Jacksonville is to turn its season around by some miracle, diversifying the coverage variations would allow a talented unit to play to their strengths instead of being forced out of position through the system.
Better discipline in all phases is required
Earlier in the season, it looked like the Jaguars were set to have a stout defense, especially with their performances against Miami and Cleveland in the first two weeks. Instead, the defense has turned into one of the league’s worst.
While Jacksonville has a talented defense, it remains undisciplined in all phases. While plenty of the blame can be placed on the players themselves, this is a coaching issue and it starts with defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.
Defenders have struggled to tackle in space and the statistics can back this up. The Jaguars have allowed the most yards after the catch (1,379), the 11th-most YAC over-expected (plus-147) and the most yards per play in the league (6.0).
Nielsen’s unit has been giving up way too many big plays this season. A couple of notable ones have been against Green Bay and Philadelphia in the last two weeks.
This 51-yard play by Jayden Reed is good example of how bad the #Jaguars defense has been this season. Watch the second level defenders. Total confusion and a lack of communication. Good play call (slot leak wheel) from LaFluer. Can’t happen with as much talent as JAX has imo. pic.twitter.com/BLZX2x0X1H
— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) October 31, 2024
Saquon Barkley out here getting defenders benched? This was the third-and-forever draw for a TD at the end of the first half last week. Jags CB Montaric Brown wasn’t able to contain Barkley from getting outside. Played 15 defensive snaps before the play, zero after. pic.twitter.com/Tm2LGL0sPK
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) November 8, 2024
On film, players are often out of position relative to their assignments and responsibilities, specifically against the pass. For a defense that was supposed to be a strength this season, its lack of success falls on coaching and a lack of proper fundamentals instilled.
Head coach Doug Pederson replaced most of his defensive staff coaching from last season yet the unit has regressed under new leadership. It is now fair to wonder if Pederson will get another chance to fix the unit’s issues this offseason.
