How the Jaguars Have Unlocked Josh Hines-Allen

Josh Hines-Allen is heating up down the stretch for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it's by design.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) attempts to sack Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Trey Lance (5) during the fourth quarter in an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, November 16, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars got a crucial road victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12 to move to 7-4 on the 2025 NFL season. It wasn't pretty by any means. In fact, they needed a defensive stand in overtime to eke out a three-point win over a 3-7 team. The game came down to the final play, with Jacoby Brissett launching a prayer near the end zone on 4th-and-4 to Xavier Weaver that fell incomplete, sealing the victory for Jacksonville.

The pass-rush deserves the bulk of the credit for the Jaguars' impressive defensive performance in Arizona. They racked up 42 total pressures and six sacks on Jacoby Brissett, forcing multiple errant throws with defenders in his face. Josh Hines-Allen had 10 pressures and a sack himself, starting a hot streak after his dominant performance against the Los Angeles Chargers, when he became the franchise's all-time sack leader.

There's been a lot of discourse around his performance this season, as he struggled to get home against opposing quarterbacks early on in the year. He's now notched four sacks in four games, though, and there's good reason to believe that he can continue to add to his total for the Jaguars.

Nov 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) looks to pass during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Josh Hines-Allen is versatile

The most impressive part of the Jacksonville Jaguars' pass rush against the Arizona Cardinals was what they were able to do with Travon Walker out. The team got some players to step up in a big way in a crunch, including undrafted rookies Danny Striggow and B.J. Green II, but Josh Hines-Allen filled the void admirably in Glendale.

Hines-Allen had 33 pass rush snaps on the left side of the defense -- that's the second-most such snaps of his career, per PFF

Hopefully it isn't just bc Travon Walker was out. The #Jaguars should continue to deploy JHA across the formation to hunt matchups https://t.co/fjdCgEVp4m pic.twitter.com/tgLfK31JYR

— Gus Logue (@gus_logue) November 24, 2025

According to Gus Logue, JHA registered 33 pass-rush snaps on the left side of the line, which is the second-most he's had in any game of his career. Jacksonville also used him in stunts and on the interior to wreak havoc on the Cardinals' offensive line. Head Coach Liam Coen spoke on how he was able to move Hines-Allen around to his benefit against Arizona:

"I think we obviously affected the quarterback more. We had six sacks, the most since 2023, 15 QB hits. Five guys had sacks. So, I do think that continuing to try to be creative about getting our guys matchups, it's no different than what you're trying to do on offense or in special teams when it comes to trying to put your best players in positions to be successful in matchups that you think are favorable in your way. And we’ve got to continue to do that. So, both schematically and effort and execution within the rush, I did think we took a step forward in some ways."

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