The Jacksonville Jaguars truly believed their pass rush had turned a corner going into Week 2, but man, did Sunday hit different. After getting shut down 20-13 by the Denver Broncos, some seriously familiar concerns are already back in the spotlight. Forget turning a corner; it looks like they just drove right back into the same old ditch.
The Pressure Vanished Into Thin Air
Can you believe it? They failed to sack Broncos quarterback Bo Nix even once! Not a single one! And they only managed three quarterback hits all game. That’s just wild. What makes it even tougher to swallow is how Denver erased a ten-point third-quarter deficit. The Jags’ defense, specifically their inability to generate late-game pressure, was a huge reason why. This was a total 180 from Week 1 where they absolutely feasted on Deshaun Watson, racking up five sacks and eight quarterback hits. Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen both had 1.5 sacks apiece that game, looking like absolute monsters. Against Nix, though? He was just chillin’, operating without any real disruption for most of the game.
ESPN Research dropped some numbers, and they’re pretty damning. When the Jaguars rushed four or fewer guys, Nix completed an insane 16 of 18 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown. When they actually sent five or more? That number dropped significantly: 6 of 13 attempts for 83 yards and an interception. That difference is massive, and it screams that they gotta dial up the aggression, right? But even that’s not a silver bullet. Coach Liam Coen admitted the risk, saying Denver recognized some of their pressure looks and adjusted its protections before the snap. Plus, you gotta credit the Broncos’ O-line and how they moved Nix around with play-action and bootlegs; it definitely made things harder for Jacksonville to pin him down.
Old Problems Haunt Jacksonville’s Defense
This whole situation just brings back painful memories of last season. Even though the Jaguars finished third in the entire NFL in pressures in 2025, they were only 27th in sacks. That’s a huge disconnect, and it shows they’re getting close but not finishing the job. We saw similar problems surface in their wild-card playoff loss to Buffalo, where they only managed one measly sack on Josh Allen and couldn’t even hit him in the entire fourth quarter! That’s just brutal when the game is on the line.
Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun is sounding the alarm, and he’s right: fixing this isn’t just about the edge rushers stepping up. It’s about better execution on early downs, which would create longer third-down situations. That’s when the defensive front can really pin their ears back and attack more aggressively. The urgency is cranking way up because their upcoming schedule is a gauntlet. Over the next four weeks, they’re staring down Drake Maye, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and C.J. Stroud. If the Jaguars can’t figure out how to consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks without relying heavily on blitzes, then Sunday’s performance against Denver isn’t just a fluke. It’s a flashing red light for their season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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