Jaguars Might Have Solution to Pass-Rush Troubles In-House

A lot of concerning issues were raised for the Jacksonville Jaguars in their last game against the Houston Texans. They fell to 5-4 after blowing a 19-point lead to Davis Mills in the fourth quarter. Losing in such spectacular fashion is bound to draw some severe backlash.

There was plenty of blame to go around after such a dramatic collapse. The Jaguars' offense couldn't put the game away, despite being gifted 17 points off turnovers and a punt-return touchdown from Parker Washington.

They may have finished with 29 points, but that's a very misleading number for the pitiful performance they actually put together, finishing with just 213 total yards — including just one in the fourth quarter — and failing to move the chains to finish off their reeling opponents in the final period.

Meanwhile, the defense couldn't capitalize on a 19-point lead against a backup quarterback. Sure, the offense went 3-and-out on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter, but they also allowed Davis Mills to orchestrate three straight touchdown drives.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Seattle Seahawks, Dennis Gardeck, Jaxon Smith-Njigba — Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Dennis Gardeck (47) chases Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) during the second 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] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dennis Gardeck might be the answer

The Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive meltdown in the fourth quarter can largely be attributed to their inability to get pressure or take down the Houston Texans' backup quarterback. Davis Mills capped off his incredible comeback by evading the pass rush, escaping the pocket, and scrambling for a 14-yard touchdown to take the lead for good.

Jacksonville was only able to sack him twice all game for a net loss of just 10 yards. Considering that the Texans' offensive line was supposed to be a massive weakness for them and the fact that Mills isn't exactly known as a mobile quarterback, Week 10 was an abysmal performance from the Jaguars' pass rush. There's been a lot of analysis over what this team can do to generate more pressure. The answer might be as simple as playing Dennis Gardeck more. Head Coach Liam Coen spoke on what he's seen from his veteran linebacker:

Wildman Dennis Gardeck makes a really nifty play here. Slips the puller and gets the NFL pic.twitter.com/jKK7fILx7A
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) November 10, 2025

"Love Dennis. He needs to continue to get more when he's on the grass, and he's going that way. Man, good things have happened for us, and he's such a pro. All he cares about is the team and working his tail off every day when he's out there and he's up against a tight end or an OL, whatever it is, he's going to do everything he can to shed and to strike and to make a play, but not because he is trying to do anything outside of the scheme, just because of his mentality and the way that he approaches it.

So, Dennis and I had actually had a really good talk yesterday, just out on the grass, about staying the course, continuing to push forward, and that he's just feeling better and better as he gets going. So, we got to get him more.”

Against the Texans, Gardeck racked up four tackles and two pressures on 21 snaps, earning a 74.5 pass-rush grade and an 86.1 overall defensive mark from Pro Football Focus. There's a good chance the Jaguars will utilize him a lot more moving forward.

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