Jaguars Defense Thriving in Unexpected Area

The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to rebound on both sides of the ball after their Week 8 bye. The team was severely disappointing on offense and defense during their two-game skid against the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams. The D held up decently well versus the 'Hawks, but gave up a handful of explosive plays that ultimately made the difference in that game.

In London, they were repeatedly bludgeoned by Matthew Stafford and the Rams. The Jaguars allowed LA to pass for five touchdowns, giving Stafford the NFL all-time record in an international outing. Jacksonville's defense was able to turn things around in the second half, forcing four consecutive punts after intermission, but it was already far too late.

On the bright side, they should be significantly healthier and more consistent after the bye. Trade acquisition Greg Newsome II will have four weeks of practice under his belt before the Jaguars' next game against the Las Vegas Raiders. So will Travon Walker playing with his new arm club. Devin Lloyd will be back after missing the London trip.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL London, Los Angeles Rams, Kyren Williams — Oct 19, 2025; London, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead (91) gets tangled up with Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) and offensive tackle Warren McClendon Jr. (71) during the first half during a NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Boyers-Reuters via Imagn Images | Andrew Boyers-Reuters via Imagn Images

One encouraging sign

It wasn't all bad for the Jacksonville Jaguars' defense despite the two-game losing streak. They might not have been able to force any takeaways like they had grown accustomed to doing during the team's 4-1 start to the season, but there were some encouraging signs for Head Coach Liam Coen and his staff to build on in the bye.

On top of a solid showing against the Seattle Seahawks and the second-half stand versus the Los Angeles Rams, the Jaguars' defense discovered that it can be pretty darn effective on third downs when it wants to be. On the year, they're allowing a 38.64 percent conversion rate. However, in their last three games, they dropped that number down to 25.81 percent.

Considering the elite offenses they matched up with in that stretch, that's nothing to scoff at. Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile recently spoke on his unit's effectiveness on third downs as of late:

Biggest reason #Jaguars defense has slipped last 3 weeks?

The early downs.

From Weeks 1-4, Jaguars were No. 4 in EPA/Play and Success Rate on 1st and 2nd down.

Over last 3 weeks, they are No. 31 and No. 32. Aren't getting the third-and-longs that lead to turnovers pic.twitter.com/V5PIg354Ny
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) October 22, 2025

"A lot like you were asking about our self-scout and all that, and as the season goes on, you're constantly looking at those things, and what are we good at? Where can we take advantage of it? I talked about it, I think, the week before, maybe when we played Kansas City, we had a lot of third-and-two situations in that game. There were maybe five of them, I think, third-and-twos, and to be in really more third and defensively manageable situations is critical."

"So, winning first down, winning get-back-on-track situations, getting yourself to an advantageous position on third down, and competing. I know we may not have had a ton of production in terms of sacks in the rush, but guys have gotten a bunch of hits on the quarterback, and I think that's changed some of the trajectory of some of the throws on third down as well. So really just rush and coverage working together."

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