This is it! The pinnacle of a four-game stretch before the bye week that will shape the 2019 season for the Jacksonville Jaguars. So far they have come out victorious over two teams they were supposed to beat in the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets. Now it is time to focus their attention on the AFC South. And it starts on Sunday in London
Are the Jaguars pretenders or contenders for the AFC South crown? The next three games will provide answers as they face all three in the next four weeks. If the Jaguars want to continue to play meaningful games in November and December it starts this Sunday against the Houston Texans at their home away from home. There are two defensive keys to leaving London with a win heading into the bye week.
Jacksonville Jaguars Defense: Two Keys Against the Houston Texans
Stop the Run
In the Week 2 matchup at Houston, the Jaguars run defense was exposed. Despite all of the attention to Texans’ star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins received, it was running back Carlos Hyde that hurt the Jaguars. Yes, Carlos Hyde. Shocking to say the least. But Hyde was able to gain critical yardage to extend drives during the 13-12 victory over the Jaguars. The Texans tallied seven rushing first downs that kept the Jaguars defense vulnerable and tired on the field. Hyde’s 20 carries and 90 yards could arguably be the reason behind the week two loss in Houston.
This cannot happen on Sunday in London. Despite several injuries along the front seven, the Jaguars run defense has been trending up since the Carolina embarrassment during Weel 5. In fact, the defensive unit has yet to yield more than 50 yards rushing the last two games against more worthy running backs like Cincinnatti’s Joe Mixon and New York’s Le’Veon Bell. The unit will need to keep up the pace in London and bottle up Hyde. Therefore not biting on play-action and putting the inexperienced secondary at risk. If the defensive interior is able to keep Houston in longer third-down situations, “Sacksonville” can emerge at Wembley Stadium.
Pressure and Contain Deshaun Watson
The Jacksonville defense has averaged four sacks a game, tallying a total of 16 sacks the last four games. True, this number is inflated because of last week’s total of eight. But the defensive ends are causing chaos in the backfield. Undoubtedly, the game plan has always been for the Jaguars to jump out of the gate early on offense, to free up the defense to utilize the speed rush. However, the pass rush needs to take advantage of the porous Houston offensive line with or without a lead.
Several key injuries along the Texans offensive line have impacted the pressure on quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Jaguars must take advantage of a unit that has not had the opportunity to gel and pressure from all angles. Defensive coordinator Todd Wash must be aggressive and not allow time for Watson to find his talented playmakers. But the rush cannot be a blind rush or the dynamic Watson will hurt them with his legs. Controlled chaos along the front line will keep the Texans offense guessing which direction the pressure will come from.
Last Word on Jacksonville Jaguars Defense
Despite all of the attention on the heroics of Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew, the recipe for wins in Jacksonville remains the same. Defense and early stops. The Jaguars cannot allow Carlos Hyde to dictate the pace of play by moving the chains on short yardage. Stops on early downs are a must this Sunday in London. And will give the Jaguars the opportunity to pressure the Texans depleted offensive line.
