Jaguars HC Doug Marrone says team needs to improve fundamentals, gap discipline to repair run defense. Can it happen?

Through five games in the 2019 season, the Jacksonville Jaguar (2-3) defense has not been the dominant unit it was in 2017 or even the good unit it was in 2018. Instead, it has been a defense that has given up 24+ points in three of its five games, and they are last in the NFL in yards per carry given up with 5.5.

The regression of defensive coordinator Todd Wash's defense was never more apparent than during the team's 34-27 loss to the Carolina Panthers in week 5. Everyday leading up to the game, Wash, head coach Doug Marrone and defensive starters in the locker room talked about how Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey would be their main focus.

Despite that, McCaffrey still exploded for 237 yards from scrimmage, totaling three touchdowns, including one 84-yard touchdown. After the game, several Panthers players said McCaffrey was able to gash the Jaguars defense with the same play. Over and over and over.

Christian McCaffrey REALLY likes scoring touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/O496Na16xU
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 6, 2019

The biggest reason for the defense's complete inability to stop the run on Sunday despite knowing it was going to be the Panthers focus? According to Marrone, it was a lack of fundamentals and gap discipline.

"Then when you look at it, obviously, they kept running the same type of, two different types of plays over and over," Marrone said Monday. "And at the end of the day, we’ve got to do a better job coaching the fundamental part of it. Looking in the backfield, looking at things, getting knocked out of our gaps. Not being in the gap or filling it the proper way."

Two of the worst culprits of gap discipline on Sunday were linebackers Myles Jack and Quincy Williams, each of whom struggled mightily all game but especially on McCaffrey's 84-yard backbreaking score. But as Marrone noted, the entire defense shoulders some of the blame.

Christian McCaffrey reached a max speed of 21.95 MPH on his 84-yard TD rush, his fastest touch since 2018.

@run__cmc sustained a speed of 21.01 MPH for 4 seconds, the 2nd-fastest sustained speed over 4s reached by a ball carrier since 2018.#JAXvsCAR | #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/2jpowhW497
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 6, 2019

"It’s like everything else – everyone knows we’re an eight-man front defense. It’s not giving away anything. So, every gap should be secured, and every gap should be filled, and gaps should be played," Marrone said. "I would say that collectively, all of us really, it’s not just one position. It’s not defensive linemen, linebackers, safeties; we all have to do a better job. It’s not one coach, it’s all of us.”

But it wasn't just McCaffrey who hurt the Jaguars. If it was, then they could take some solace in it because he does similar damage to every defense he plays. But even reserve running back Reggie Bonnafon made a game-changing play, putting a nail in the Jaguars coffin with a 59-yard touchdown with 2:18 left in the game.

Rushing touchdown by Reggie Bonnafon

Only 2 touches prior

Car 34- Jax 27 pic.twitter.com/nrwTwqJJfy
— Fitz (@LaurieFitzptrck) October 6, 2019

What is the answer moving forward? Some have suggested changing up the defensive scheme and maybe allowing Calais Campbell, Abry Jones and Marcell Dareus to be on the field at the same time on first and second downs.

But according to Marrone, it is not that simple.

“When you don’t feel like you’re getting out-leveraged and you’re not being able to control all the gaps, and they’re good enough to find them, the running backs, there’s not much you can do without exposing – really putting oneself in harm’s way," Marrone said when JaguarMaven asked him about what adjustments the defense could have made during the game.

"So, that’s why I said before that a lot of times, a lot of people will go to, ‘Well, hey, we have to play this,’ or, ‘We have to do something different,’ or, ‘We have to change,’ or ‘We have to go three-four.’ There’s a lot of people that are going to say those things, but at the end of the day, it’s very simple. Everyone has a gap; everybody has a responsibility in every one of those defensive fronts. And in every one of those fronts, if you’re out of that gap, or you’re not filling it the proper way and these running backs are good enough to hit the hole, you’re going to give up plays, and that’s what we did."

Will the Jaguars run defense improve moving forward? Optimism says Williams will develop as the season goes along and that the interior defensive line will start making more plays in the backfield.

But the most likely scenario is that it will continue to struggle because the defense simply does not have the horses to stop the run. Jack and Williams are among the smallest linebacker duos in the NFL and Dareus and Jones have not flashed much this season.

Moving forward, do not expect any drastic scheme changes or personnel overhauls, at least not in 2019. The Jaguars made their bed with the defensive roster going into the season, and now it is up to them to make it work.

"It’s not schemes, it’s not replacing guys, it’s not anything like that. Sometimes as complicated as the game is, the answers are simple. Fundamentals, techniques. Placing our hands, staying in our gap. Being tight to things. Those are the things that we’re going to have to do a better job of.’ Coaching it and then obviously performing it," Marrone said.