3 Questions Facing Jaguars' Defense at Bye Week

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are sitting at 4-3 entering their Week 8 bye, and there are several key questions facing the team as they move toward their week off.

So, which are the biggest questions facing the Jaguars' defense and how can they answer them?

Where Will the Pass-Rush Come From

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller (51) gets after Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) on a sack during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Seahawks defeated the Jaguars 20-12. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The one issue that has persisted for the Jaguars through the first seven games -- even during their 4-1 start -- was the pass-rush. It flashed at times, but the Jaguars have been one of the NFL's worst overall pass-rush units this year, tied for No. 32 in sacks, No. 32% in sack rate, No. 16 in pressures, and No. 27 in pressure rate.

Blitzes have done some heavy lifting for the Jaguars, too. The Jaguars' pressure rate when blitzing is 43.2% (No. 12 in NFL), which falls to No. 24.5% (No. 28) without a blitz. With just one sack over the last three games, the Jaguars badly need to find a way to impact the opposing QBs.

What Will Hunter's Role Be

nfl; — Oct 19, 2025; London, United Kingdom; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (17) makes a catch against Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) during the second half of an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Travis Hunter has a strong argument to make as the Jaguars' best pure cover cornerback, even with the strong start from Jourdan Lewis. But Hunter has also recently seen his snaps increase on the offensive side of the ball, and it can be expected for that to continue over the second-half of the season as they try to find a spark on offense.

With that said, Hunter's skill set is too valuable for the Jaguars to keep sidelined on defense. Whether it is in specific situations such as third-down or in the red-zone, Hunter needs to be on the field when the Jaguars need a stop. Whether that changes could be critical to the defense's improvement.

Will the Turnovers Return

Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) returns an interception against the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

After 14 turnovers in the first five games, the Jaguars have gone back-to-back games without forcing a takeaway. The games happened to be two of the Jaguars' worst games on defense this year, and it appears we now have the answer as to what the defense would look like once the turnovers began to dry up.

The question is when, or if, they will return. The Jaguars had chances at a few against the Seattle Seahawks, but Anthony Campanile's unit did not have as many chances against the Los Angeles Rams. The Jaguars will need to play better on first- and second-down to make it happen.

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