The Real Reason the Jaguars Didn't Get Many Sacks Last Season

The Jacksonville Jaguars brass have begun working diligently to find a way to improve their roster and their chances at making a deeper playoff run next year. The team made a flurry of additions to both its staff and its on-field personnel last offseason, and it paid off handsomely, with 13 wins, an AFC South title, and a return to the postseason.

Unfortunately, the Jaguars' Cinderella run was quickly extinguished in the playoffs by the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round. Jacksonville showed a ton of improvement across the board, but it was far from a perfect or finished product. The good news is that it was just the first season under the new regime, but General Manager James Gladstone and the rest of the Jaguars' brain trust have their work cut out for them.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Las Vegas Raiders, Aidan O'Connell, Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker — Dec 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) throws the ball against Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) and defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jaguars have to add some versatility in the pass rush

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a host of talented EDGE rushers on the team. They were able to consistently put opposing quarterbacks under duress, but this defense often failed to finish off plays with sacks. Jacksonville tied for sixth in total pressures with 159, but just 27th in sacks with 32.

That issue reared its ugly head in their Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Jaguars pressured Josh Allen 17 times; however, they only brought him down once for a net loss of 12 yards. He wound up finishing with 306 total yards, three total touchdowns, and no turnovers on 11 carries and 28-of-35 passing. He looked entirely too comfortable dicing up Jacksonville's defense.

As an edge rusher being able to go speed to power in a playoff game looks more and more crucial. Gotta make the pocket uncomfortable.
— Joshua Hines-Allen (@JoshHinesAllen) January 18, 2026

Part of the reason is due to the scheme. Anthony Campanile's unit plays a lot of zone coverage designed to force opposing quarterbacks into making mistakes and committing turnovers. Since the Jaguars didn't play a lot of press-man, they didn't churn out many coverage sacks. For example, Allen had the quickest time to throw of any QB in the Wild Card Round, at an average of just 2.62 seconds. The Carolina Panthers' Bryce Young, facing an elite Los Angeles Rams pass rush, took 3.08 seconds per dropback.

But there's a personnel-related cause for the Jaguars' sack woes this past season. Jacksonville had a lot of talented pass rushers between Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, Dennis Gardeck, Danny Striggow, and B.J. Green II. Unfortunately, they're all the same archetype: pocket-collapsers who win with power. The Jaguars lack an EDGE who can burst off the line, bend around his blocker, and chase down scrambling quarterbacks consistently. Either one of the young guys has to become that next season, or General Manager James Gladstone has to find one in the draft or free agency.

To see if the Jaguars add a speedy EDGE this offseason, sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. SIGN UP HERE NOW.

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