Why The Jaguars Rotten History Against Backup QBs May Doom Them

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are in trouble.

The Jaguars have dropped three of their last four games. The offense has not hit second gear all season long. The rookie class is hardly contributing, and the floor of the roster does not look like it was raised nearly as much as the Jaguars thought it would be.

But the most troubling trend of all? How backup and struggling quarterbacks have routinely toyed with the Jaguars' defense, which was the theme of the Jaguars' 36-29 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Jaguars allowed the Texans' offense to score 30+ points for just the fourth time since the start of the 2024 season, and the Texans did it on the back of veteran backup quarterback Davis Mills.

Backup QB Woes

Mills diced the Jaguars' defense up in Week 10, scoring three touchdowns, nearly throwing for 300 yards, and winning the game with a scramble at the end of the fourth quarter to cap off a 93-yard touchdown drive. To make matters worse, it never felt like the Jaguars were going to stop Mills when he took the ball to start the drive.

Nov 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) looks towards the bench between plays during the second half of a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

“I was on the headset hearing him call. When you blitz, you're a little susceptible in the back end when you blitz and when we four-man rush we're not getting home. That's the reality," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said on Sunday. That's a hard place as any coach to be in. Players as well at times. So got to go watch the tape to see exactly every call but I didn't necessarily think were putting these guys in really bad positions. You're trying to hold onto a lead and make them earn it. We let up too many explosive plays.”

But Mills isn't the first backup quarterback to terorrize the Jaguars this season. Bengals quarterback Jake Browning led a 90+ yard scoring drive to beat the Jaguars in Week 2 and had his best game of the year in terms of EPA/Play. Almost half of Geno Smith's touchdowns came against the Jaguars and he had his second-best game in terms of EPA/Play.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile walks off the field to be interviewed by media members after an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jaguars' defense started hot, but it has more than fizzled since. And now, the cooling is coming against the weakest competition the Jaguars will face all year. With struggling quarterbacks like Jacoby Brissett, Justin Fields, Bo Nix, and Cam Ward all on the schedule, the Jaguars can't be expected to just roll over them.

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