Menu
Generation Jaguar
  • Shop
    • Women
    • Winter Gear
    • GenJag T-Shirts
    • GenJag Hats
    • GenJag Stickers
    • GenJag Gift Cards
  • Shop
    • Women
    • Winter Gear
    • GenJag T-Shirts
    • GenJag Hats
    • GenJag Stickers
    • GenJag Gift Cards

JAGUARS NEWS

PFF RANKS JAGUARS 7TH BEST RUN DEFENSE IN FOOTBALL

7/20/2018

Comments

 
Picture
David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire
After a slow start in 2017 is the Jaguars run defense primed for an elite season in 2018?
Picture


Over the last several weeks Pro Football Focus has been releasing team rankings in different aspects of the game. To this point they've graded offensive lines and pass rushes. The Jaguars came in at 15 and 2 respectively. I highly doubt that the Jaguars offensive line - with the addition of Andrew Norwell at guard, the return of Brandon Linder and Jermey Parnell, and the expected emergence of Cam Robinson - will be ranked so low by season's end.

As for the Jaguars pass rush, they're called Sacksonville for a reason. While I'm sure many would argue that they should be number one, the Eagles hold that distinction, and for good reason - they're pass rush was able to fluster Tom Brady and Co. in the Super Bowl, something the Jaguars failed to do in the AFC Championship. 

PFF's latest set of rankings looks at run defenses around the NFL. The Jags' run defense came in at seven - a (somewhat) surprisingly high number considering the Jaguars finished 21st in the league last year in yards per game allowed on the ground.

​Here's what PFF had to say about the Jaguars run defense entering the 2018 season:
7. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

TOP THREE RUN-DEFENSE GRADES AMONG RETURNING PLAYERS:
Telvin Smith Sr., linebacker – 94.1 run-defense grade
Calais Campbell, edge defender – 92.4
Malik Jackson, defensive interior – 81.7

Missed tackle % on run plays, 2017: 10.5% (T10th)

They have one of the top pass-rush units, but don’t sleep on how good the Jaguars defensive front looks set to be against the run in 2018. Smith was the top-graded run defender among linebackers last year at 94.1 and produced a 9.9 run-stop percentage, third among 4-3 outside linebackers. Up front, just like he dominated as a pass-rusher, Campbell dominated against the run too, finishing 2017 as the fourth-highest graded edge defender against the run.

There are some very valid points here. Telvin Smith and Calais Campbell were both fantastic against the run in 2017 and should continue to be stalwarts in run defense moving forward. Malik Jackson, Marcell Dareus, and Abry Jones are also solid run defenders. Myles Jack, Dante Fowler Jr., Barry Church and Jalen Ramsey are all quality players against the run as well.  

The Jaguars run defense did improve, somewhat, throughout last season and was stout enough during their three game playoff run. Still, for a team that allowed 120 yards per game on the ground over the last six regular season games in 2017, seven might be a bit rich. 

The continued development of young defensive lineman Yannick Ngakoue, Dante Fowler and Dawuane Smoot combined with the addition of Taven Bryan via the draft could see the Jaguars defensive line improve against the run, but with uncertainty at the strong side linebacker spot I wouldn't rank the Jaguars run defense quite this high. The team certainly has the talent to finish with the seventh best run defense (or even higher) in 2018, but they need to prove that they're dedicated to stopping the run week in and week out before I'll give them as much credit as PFF currently is.  
Comments

    This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

    Opt Out of Cookies

    SHOP GENJAG

    Jax Skyline Dad Hat

    Shop

    PODCAST

    Powered by RedCircle


    LATEST VIDEO


    TWITTER
    Tweets by generationjag

      GENJAG
      ​FOR YOUR INBOX

    Subscribe

    Voted #1 Blog in Jax
    2016


    Categories

    All
    Analysis
    Draft Coverage
    DUUUUVAL Daily
    Free Agency
    High School
    Latest News
    Madden
    News
    Podcast
    Poll
    Video

GET SOCIAL

Contact: info@genjag.com
© 2022 Generation Jaguar | Terms | Privacy | 
This site is not affiliated with nor endorsed by the NFL or the Jacksonville Jaguars."NFL" is a registered trademark of the National Football League. "Jacksonville Jaguars" are a registered trademark of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The information provided on this website is provided for information and entertainment purposes only. RSS Feed​.
Picture