Josh Allen and Yannick Ngakoue Give Jaguars a Special Pass Rush Duo That Should Remain Together

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For the better part of the 2010s, and even several of the years before then, the Jacksonville Jaguars struggled mightily in their quest to find a special pass rusher flying off the edge.

Now, Jacksonville appears to have two at the same time - and they should do everything in their power to keep it at way.

Cross chop/club by @YannickNgakoue

He attacks with speed, creating indecision in the OL's set. Ngakoue then jump cuts as he cross chops, affecting the OL's balance while gaining leverage/separation. The club helps to corner the OL & get back on a direct path to the QB! #PassRush pic.twitter.com/UyBEQsR3ig
— DLineVids (@dlinevids1) December 16, 2019

Fourth-year veteran Yannick Ngakoue has been a consistent producer of sacks and forced fumbles since he was selected in the third-round of the 2016 NFL Draft, collecting 37.5 career sacks (second-most in team history) and 13 forced fumbles in his first four seasons.

Rookie defensive end Josh Allen was selected seventh overall by Jacksonville in the 2019 NFL Draft to serve as a tag-team partner for Ngakoue and give the team a second lethal edge rusher. As a rookie, Allen has set the franchise record for sacks by a rookie with 10 (surpassing the eight Ngakoue had in 2016) and has been an upgrade to Dante Fowler Jr., Ngakoue's last partner on the edge.

Sunday's win over the Oakland Raiders was fueled by some big defensive plays made in crucial moments, and Ngakoue and Allen were each on the forefront of those. The two combined for three sacks and five tackles for loss, giving Oakland's offensive tackles nightmares for four quarters.

Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone has had high praise for each player this season, but he heaped on the positive reinforcement even more so when asked about his team's edge duo on Monday.

“I think you look at both those players and just their work ethic. I always say that," Marrone said. "A lot of times you can’t see that obviously, because you’re not at the full practice or anything of that nature, or you’re not in the building, but those two guys work extremely hard, and not just on pass rush, I mean both guys are competing really tough against the run."

All together this season, Ngakoue and Allen have combined for 18 sacks, five forced fumbles, 25 tackles for loss, and 32 quarterback hits. Whether it is the run or the pass, the two have made plays and they have done so as a lethal tandem.

"Josh has really improved in the run game and being disruptive. And Yannick’s probably coming off of his best game that he’s had from a standpoint of playing the run, rushing the passer," Marrone said. "I think those guys take a lot of pride in their work ethic and wanted to be better. I think they both want to be special players in this league."

Jacksonville has a special set of edge rushers on its team for maybe the first time in franchise history, but they are only guaranteed to have the two together for another two games. Ngakoue is in the final year of his contract and thus far there have been zero reports of his camp and the team coming close to an agreement for an extension.

Jacksonville should make this their top priority when the season ends, though. Regardless of who is calling the shots in Jacksonville. Ngakoue has not only earned a big contract, but the though of breaking him and Allen up seems ludicrous to even consider at this point. Those two can be the building blocks for a revamped defense, and something every team in the NFL likely wishes they could have.

"And I just look at when we were able to put teams in tough situations, and we’re talking about third and 18 twice and third and 13. That’s something that we’ve told our defense before," Marrone said. "I think when you have players like Yannick and Josh, and you’re able with Calais [Campbell] in there, and you can put people, offenses, in that position; it’s difficult to block them with one, two, whatever they may be, how many ever players they want to put on those guys. So, they think they can win all those matchups on third and long and they do heck of a job, so we’re real fortunate to have those guys playing at the level they’re playing at.”

Allen and Ngakoue think they can win those matchups because more often than not, they do. Jacksonville should ensure they continue doing this side-by-side for as long as possible.

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