Jaguars vs. Broncos: Can Mike Caldwell's Defense Recover vs. Russell Wilson?

Even though the Broncos offense is ranked as one of the worst, they still contain impact playmakers that will make life tough for the Jags.

After the Jaguars defense allowed Daniel Jones to rush for 107 yards, it became clear that the unit struggles against mobile quarterbacks. They potentially face off against another on Sunday.

Russell Wilson’s status for this week is still in the air due to a lingering hamstring injury, but the 9 time Pro-Bowler logged limited practice sessions Wednesday and Thursday and sounded optimistic about suiting up in London. While Wilson’s injury will surely limit his impact with his legs, his ability to buy time and run around in the pocket make sacking him difficult.

“Probably being able to get him down,” Caldwell said. “He’s able to buy time and run around in the pocket and end up making plays, so that’s probably the most difficult thing playing against him.”

Limiting the impact of a mobile quarterback falls on the coaching staff just as much as it does the players. Defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell acknowledged that the defensive play calling needs improvement.

“It really lies within the defense,” Caldwell said. “Certain calls, you can have an inside linebacker responsible or a defensive end responsible or safety responsible for it. It really just lies in what the defensive call is, and we just have to execute it better.”

In addition to Wilson, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy presents problems for the Jaguars defense with his size and speed. Game planning for a receiver of Jeudy’s skillset is a tough task for the coaching staff, but trusting in technique is the key to overcoming the challenge ahead.

“The way receivers are in this game, every team is going to have a guy, and he’s just a guy,” Caldwell said. “We just have to understand that he has a skillset, and we understand that skillset and take a look at his route paths and his route tree and understand that we have our work cut out for us, but we have our techniques. Trust our techniques, and go out there and play.”

Wideout Cortland Sutton presents another test for a Jaguars secondary that just lost cornerback Shaq Griffin to injured reserve. For the defensive unit, the next man up is essential to keep the dormant Broncos offense from waking up and finding their groove.

“It really doesn’t change a bunch because we have confidence in all our guys back there, and Tre (CB Tre Herndon) played well last week and just an opportunity for guys to step up,” Caldwell said. “Shaq’s a loss, and he’ll be around, and hopefully he has a speedy recovery, but now it’s an opportunity for the next guy to get up.”