Trevor Lawrence & Co. get the hype, but defense leading Jaguars’ resurgence

Ben Arthur

AFC South Reporter

When it came to the Jaguars, little focus was on the defense. All the talk entering the season on why Jacksonville was an ascending contender revolved around its offense. On how much more comfortable — how much better — Trevor Lawrence & Co. would be in Year 2 of Doug Pederson’s system. How the addition of Calvin Ridley would elevate the unit.

Through five weeks of the season, however, it’s been the other side of the ball that has been more consistent.

Defense has been leading the way for the Jaguars (3-2), who carry a two-game winning streak into their home game Sunday against the Colts (3-2) for sole possession of first place in the AFC South. Apart from a disastrous 37-17 loss to the Texans in Week 3, the defense has performed like one of the best in the league.

Jacksonville is tied for second in takeaways (11), fourth in pass breakups (24), fifth in run defense (81.6 rushing yards allowed per game) and 12th in scoring defense (20.4 points allowed per game). Jaguars opponents’ drives last just 2:24 on average and end in an offensive score just 26.8% of the time, both of which rank third in the league, according to Pro Football Reference.

Pederson has pointed out how a second year in the scheme of defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell has helped the unit. Though defensive lineman DaVon Hamilton is on injured reserve with a back issue, the defense still has 10 returning starters.

“We’re preaching the same message; now they’re able to apply it better,” Caldwell said last week. “You can go back to early on in the season, they’re able to pass things off. Now, we did have a couple of bad plays against the Texans where we reverted back. But it’s a work in progress. The guys are continuing to get better, and we will continue to progress in that way.”

The Jaguars defense took charge in London, where Jacksonville played its past two games.

The unit overwhelmed Atlanta‘s Desmond Ridder in Week 4, sacking him four times, intercepting him twice and holding him to a season-low 61.2 passer rating.

Last Sunday, the Jaguars mixed up coverages and sprinkled in pressure packages to slow down Josh Allen and the Bills‘ dynamic offense. Buffalo scored just 20 points, its second-lowest total of the season. Jaguars edge rusher Josh Allen had three sacks. Cornerback Darious Williams had two of the biggest plays of the game — securing an impressive interception on a deep ball to Stefon Diggs early in the fourth quarter and, with 4:03 left, making an open-field tackle on WR Khalil Shakir to prevent a two-point conversion, which would’ve made it a field-goal game down the stretch.

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The Jaguars’ Allen, who has always been able to generate pressure at a high level but struggled to finish plays since his double-digit sack rookie season in 2019, has found the sack production this year. He has six through five games, putting him in a four-way tie for second place in the league.

Playing on his fifth-year option, which will pay him $10.892 million fully guaranteed this season, Allen is playing his way into a big-money second contract.

“I don’t know what he’s eating,” Williams said of Allen after the Falcons game. “Don’t know what he’s drinking. He’s doing something because he’s going crazy. We need that. It helps the whole defense. It helps us.”

The Jaguars secondary is also playing at a high level.

Of the 13 cornerbacks who’ve played at least 160 coverage snaps, third-year pro Tyson Campbell has been targeted second-fewest (26), according to Next Gen Stats, a testament to the respect opposing quarterbacks have for him.

In addition, Andre Cisco and Rayshawn Jenkins have been one of the league’s best performing safety tandems. Among NFL safeties who’ve played at least 160 coverage snaps, Cisco and Jenkins are tied for first in pass breakups (3), while Cisco is also tied for first in interceptions (2), per Next Gen Stats.

“When you look at it, it all goes together — the pass rush and the secondary,” Caldwell said of the defense. “When the pass rush is doing well, the secondary is doing well. When the secondary is doing well, the pass rush is doing well. It really goes together and right now, we’re working pretty [well] together.”

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Inconsistent to start the year, the Jaguars offense has steadily improved. In the win over the Bills, Lawrence threw for more than 300 yards, Ridley had more than 100 yards receiving and standout running back Travis Etienne had more than 100 rushing yards. Jacksonville had season-highs in total yardage (474) and first downs (29). But the team also left points on the board offensively. The Jags lost two fumbles inside the 25-yard-line, costing them at least six points.

With the way the defense is playing, if the offense can find consistency, that would give the Jaguars enticing upside.

“When we’re on our game — offensively, defensively, special teams — we’re a team that can’t be beat,” Allen said after the Bills game. “We stay with that confidence, stay with that swag. … I’m excited to see what this week has in store for us.”

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.