Can the Jaguars’ Defense Stay Elite — or Is a Drop-Off Coming

The Jacksonville Jaguars were expected to be better this season after an offseason overhaul of both their on-field personnel and their sidelines. Even the most beaming optimist probably didn't see them starting 3-1 in the Liam Coen era, though. No one could have anticipated that the defense would lead the way for this squad through four weeks.

With Coen on board, many thought the Jaguars could show some significant signs of growth on offense, with the NFL mastermind taking over a flawed but talented unit featuring Trevor Lawrence, Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Etienne Jr., and Travis Hunter Jr. If anything, Jacksonville's attack has been underwhelming in its first four games, while the defense has been spectacular.

The Jaguars have notched three takeaways in four straight games to begin the year. In their last game, a road upset over the San Francisco 49ers, they forced four turnovers, en route to a 26-21 win. This defense has continually defied the odds, but at some point, this team can't count on its D to steal multiple possessions every game, right?

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, San Francisco 49ers, Andrew Wingard, Foyesade Oluokun — Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Luke Farrell (center right) fumbles the ball against Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard (center) and linebacker Foye Oluokun (on ground right) during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Jaguars must be prepared for some defensive regression

The Jacksonville Jaguars defense tallied three takeaways in each of its first three games. Many predicted that the streak would end in Week 4, against a typically conservative and controlled San Francisco 49ers offense. They didn't get three against the Niners — they got four.

The Jaguars needed every single one to pull out a one-possession win on the West Coast. They also needed a punt-return touchdown from Parker Washington, which proved to be the difference. At some point, the offense needs to do a better job of capitalizing on its opportunities. Head Coach Liam Coen knows that they can't expect multiple takeaways from their defense forever:

2025 Jaguars defense (4 games):
- 13 takeaways (1st)

2024 Jaguars defense (17 games):
- 9 takeaways (32nd) pic.twitter.com/jWNzznkjIy
— PFF (@PFF) September 29, 2025

"Yeah, I mean, look, we've talked about at what point are these going to not maybe come in bunches like this, and so defensively, although there's so many good things going on, there's still a lot of things to clean up that, okay, you don't get those turnovers. Well, what is the execution and the situational football and all that stuff looking like, and then offensively, well, we're not getting all these, we may not get all these different ops and field position. That is truly the process over results and the process that drives results.

But it is what it is right now... The good thing is, guys, the players know, I mean, being on the plane with these guys for five hours, they know this. They understand that this is unique in what's happening right now from a turnover situation, and we have got to execute much better in order for us to go play a game that maybe these turnovers don't exactly happen."

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