The Jacksonville Jaguars defense struggled in Sunday’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona defeated Jacksonville 31-19 in what was another tough game for the Jags. After week three, the team is now 0-3 with a lot to work on before Thursday’s matchup at the Cincinnati Bengals. Entering the game, the defense needed to play better and be able to contain Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
While that portion of the game plan failed, there were bright spots from the unit on Sunday.
Jacksonville Jaguars Defense Struggles in Loss to Arizona Cardinals
The main priority entering the game was to stop Murray from passing all over the field. The defense allowed 316 passing yards to the Cardinals and surrendered 31 points. This was a game that Jacksonville needed to win to get on track. While the team didn’t come out victorious, the defense did have a few bright spots during the game.
Andrew Wingard recorded an interception in the third quarter on the Cardinals’ first drive of the second half. Myles Jack finished with 10 total tackles and played solid.
Other than Wingard and Jack, the Jags defense struggled to stop the Cardinals. Just when the offense goes down the field and scores, the defense gave up another score to Arizona. Week three was a chance to improve the unit and show that the defense can play better than it has the past two weeks. However, the Cardinals did go three-and-out five times during the game.
Tyson Campbell, Jihad Ward, and Wingard knocked down passes on Sunday. But recording only three passes defended doesn’t help the defense in terms of contributing to winning the game.
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Run Defense Looked Impressive
The Jaguars run defense held Arizona to just 91 total rushing yards. While Murray tossed 316 passing yards, the Cardinals averaged just three yards per rush. Jacksonville held Arizona to just eight rushing first downs and 1-9 on third down.
If there is a positive takeaway from the loss, it is that the run defense looked impressive against a really good team that can run the ball effectively. But on Sunday, the Jaguars defense came ready to stop the run and held the Cardinals to under 100 rushing yards.
Lack of Pocket Pressure
While the run defense stood out, the defensive line only hit Murray one time during the game. With a solid defensive front, the front line should be getting pressure more often on a consistent quarterback. However, the Jaguars defensive line struggled to get into the pocket and pressure the Cardinals’ signal-caller.
Heading into Thursday night’s game, the defense needs to work up a game plan to initiate the defensive line and find a way to pressure the opposing quarterback.
Looking Ahead to Week 4
The Jacksonville Jaguars defense has to play better moving forward. Being 0-3 is nothing to rave about. However, the defense had some positives in Sunday’s loss that can carry over to the Thursday night game against the Bengals. The Cardinals are a legit contender this season just three games into the 2021 season. But the Jaguars defense left a lot of opportunities on the field that could have resulted in better play.
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