2026
2026 season · Weeks 1 to 8 · 5-2
Jaguars defense
Every snap the Jaguars defended, what it cost them and how they got there: the league ranks the player pages quote, where offenses find room, how this defense plays, and who plays in it.
- How good-0.10 EPA a play allowed, 5th of 32, and 0.09 below what the offenses they faced usually manage (6th).
- How they playThey blitz on 31% of dropbacks, the 14th-most in the league, and get pressure on 21%.
- Where offenses find roomThrough the air: -0.05 EPA a dropback, 6th, softest deep right (+1.24 a throw).
- Who hurt themJaylin Noel (HOU): 107 yards and +9.3 EPA on 4 touches, the most anyone has managed against them.
- Next upWeek 9 against the Ravens, whose offense ranks 14th in EPA a play.
How good is itthe defense against the league, and game by game
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA per playevery snap | -0.10 | 5th of 32 | 86th | |
| Pass EPAper dropback | -0.05 | 6th of 32 | 83rd | |
| Rush EPAper designed run | -0.19 | 1st of 32 | 98th | |
| Success rateplays that gain enough | 42% | 11th of 32 | 67th | |
| Explosive rate20+ pass, 10+ run | 8% | 6th of 32 | 83rd | |
| Yards per play | 5.6 | 23rd of 32 | 30th | |
| Yards per carry | 3.4 | 4th of 32 | 89th | |
| Third downsconverted against them | 37% | 9th of 32 | 73rd |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sack rateper dropback | 5.6% | 22nd of 32 | 33rd | |
| Pressure rateper dropback, PFR | 21% | 16th of 32 | 52nd | |
| QB hit rateper dropback | 16% | 16th of 32 | 52nd | |
| INT rateper dropback | 3.3% | 3rd of 32 | 92nd | |
| Red-zone TD ratetrips ending in a touchdown | 41% | 4th of 32 | 89th | |
| Points per drivetouchdown 7, field goal 3 | 1.54 | 4th of 32 | 89th | |
| Takeawaysper game | 1.7 | 5th of 32 | 88th | |
| EPA against expectationallowed minus the offenses' usual | -0.09 | 6th of 32 | 83rd |
Each bar is the league's 32 defenses; the marker is the Jaguars. Right is better for the defense, so a low EPA allowed sits right. The pressure rate is PFR's pressures (hurries, hits and sacks) per dropback. EPA against expectation compares each game with what that offense averaged in its other games, so a strong schedule is not held against them.
They held 5 of 7 offenses below their usual EPA a play. The biggest stop: Week 8 against the Colts, 0.42 a play under their norm. The offenses they have faced average -0.01 a play elsewhere, the 23rd-toughest schedule of offenses.
vs CLEW 34-10-0.18usual -0.07
at DENL 13-20+0.12usual -0.05
vs NEW 35-6-0.25usual +0.11
at CINW 22-17+0.05usual +0.13
vs PHIW 19-17-0.20usual -0.12
vs HOUL 31-34+0.22usual -0.01
vs INDW 42-7-0.49usual -0.07Where offenses find roomthe field, the run lanes, the positions and the situations
The soft spot is deep right: +1.24 EPA a throw against a league +0.33. The lockdown zone is deep left, -0.25 a throw (league +0.34). Completions against them run 4.9 points over expected, 30th-best in the league.
Every pass they faced with a charted air distance and side, sacks excluded. Green is a zone where they allow less than the league, red more. How often shows the share of throws against them there.
Offenses run for 3.4 yards a carry against them, 4th of 32. The leak is off right tackle: 3.5 a carry and +0.16 EPA (league 4.1, -0.07).
| Position | Targets a game | Yards a game | EPA per target | Fantasy points allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide receivers | 20.127th | 195.731st | +0.2720th-toughest | 23.49th-most30.26th-most36.96th-most |
| Tight ends | 6.710th | 32.31st | -0.302nd-toughest | 6.811th-fewest8.99th-fewest11.08th-fewest |
| Backs, receiving | 6.425th | 36.323rd | -0.127th-toughest | 11.71st-fewest14.31st-fewest17.02nd-fewest |
| Quarterbacks | – | – | – | 14.39th-fewest14.39th-fewest14.39th-fewest |
Who hurt them most
| Player | Team | Touches | Yards | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylin Noel | HOU | 4 | 107 | 1 | +9.3 |
| Jaylen Waddle | DEN | 10 | 138 | +8.7 | |
| Tee Higgins | CIN | 16 | 157 | +7.0 | |
| Darius Cooper | PHI | 3 | 71 | 1 | +6.4 |
| Nico Collins | HOU | 6 | 79 | +5.4 | |
| Denzel Boston | CLE | 4 | 59 | 1 | +5.2 |
Targets, yards and EPA per target by the receiver's position, ranked 1st for the toughest defense: the same numbers a receiver's This week panel quotes against this defense. Fantasy points allowed follow the scoring switch. Who hurt them ranks every opposing player by EPA on his targets and carries against this defense.
Their biggest third-down edge is third-and-short (1 to 3): offenses convert 40% against a league 61%. They are stingiest in the red zone (-0.54 a play, league +0.03) and weakest in 2nd down (+0.04, league +0.00).
| Situation | Plays | Allowed | League | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st down | 185 | -0.15 | +0.02 | -0.16 |
| 2nd down | 138 | +0.04 | +0.00 | +0.04 |
| 3rd down | 79 | -0.07 | -0.04 | -0.04 |
| 3rd and 1 to 3 | 25 | 40% | 61% | −21 pts |
| 3rd and 4 to 6 | 13 | 38% | 44% | −6 pts |
| 3rd and 7+ | 41 | 34% | 27% | +8 pts |
| Red zone | 62 | -0.54 | +0.03 | -0.57 |
| Two-minute drill | 51 | -0.23 | 0.00 | -0.23 |
| When they lead | 271 | -0.11 | +0.01 | -0.12 |
| One-score game | 252 | -0.08 | -0.01 | -0.07 |
| When they trail by 9+ | 5 | -0.30 | +0.03 | -0.33 |
EPA a play allowed, or for third downs the share converted (a first down or a touchdown). Green is better than the league for the defense. Score states are from the defense's side.
How they playpressure, the box, what offenses try, discipline
They send extra rushers on 31% of dropbacks and average 4.4 rushers; 69% of dropbacks see four or fewer. They allow -0.26 EPA when they blitz and +0.17 when they do not.
They put 6.7 defenders in the box on runs, eight or more on 16%. Into a light box (six or fewer) runs gain 3.7 a carry; into eight or more, 2.6.
Offenses throw more than usual against them: 8 points over their expected pass rate on early downs in a neutral game. Play action gains -0.01 EPA against them on 20% of throws; screens -0.36.
16 defensive penalties for 168 yards, 15 of them first downs, the 4th-fewest. They miss 9% of tackle attempts by PFR's count, 19th-best.
The defenderswho plays, and what each one has done
Josh Hines-Allen leads the pass rush with 12 pressures and 2 sacks on 75% of the snaps.
| Player | Snaps | Pressures | Sacks | QB hits | TFL | Tackles | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41Josh Hines-AllenDE | 75% | 12 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 25 | 1 |
| 44Travon WalkerDE | 75% | 10 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 18 | |
| 91Arik ArmsteadDT | 67% | 3 | 1.5 | 3 | 2 | 12 | |
| 99Ruke OrhorhoroDT | 43% | 4 | 1 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 52DaVon HamiltonDT | 42% | 4 | 0.5 | 4 | 16 | 1 | |
| 93Matt DickersonDT | 31% | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||
| 92Danny StriggowDE | 27% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 | |
| 57Bryan Thomas Jr.DE | 19% | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 98Albert RegisDT | 6% | 2 |
Foyesade Oluokun plays 87% of the snaps with 49 tackles and 1 sacks.
| Player | Snaps | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Pressures | Targets | Rating allowed | Missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23Foyesade OluokunLB | 87% | 49 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 70.6 | 5 |
| 51Ventrell MillerLB | 72% | 41 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 78.0 | 2 |
| 47Dennis GardeckLB | 41% | 16 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 72.6 | 1 | |
| 50Branson CombsLB | 18% | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 98.9 | |
| 31Jahlani TavaiLB | 9% | 10 | 2 | 111.5 | 2 | |||
| 35Jalen McLeodLB | 3% | 9 |
Travis Hunter is the hardest to complete a pass against: a 73.2 passer rating on 29 targets.
| Player | Snaps | Targets | Catches allowed | Yards | TD | Rating allowed | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12Travis HunterCB | 81% | 29 | 18 of 29 | 247 | 73.2 | 2 | 6 | |
| 4Jarrian JonesCB | 75% | 49 | 26 of 49 | 379 | 76.4 | 1 | 6 | |
| 6Antonio JohnsonSAF | 73% | 15 | 11 of 15 | 142 | 89.1 | 1 | ||
| 2Jourdan LewisCB | 64% | 25 | 14 of 25 | 139 | 2 | 73.7 | 2 | 2 |
| 29Eric MurrayS | 58% | 7 | 5 of 7 | 56 | 2 | 121.7 | ||
| 1Montaric BrownCB | 43% | 15 | 9 of 15 | 229 | 2 | 113.2 | 2 | |
| 25Rayuan Lane IIISAF | 40% | 11 | 8 of 11 | 126 | 1 | 131.8 | 1 | 4 |
| 26Kaevon MerriweatherSAF | 25% | 3 | 2 of 3 | 22 | 88.2 | |||
| 27Caleb RansawSAF | 15% | 2 | 0 of 2 | 21 | 59.4 |
Tackles, sacks, QB hits, TFL, interceptions, passes defended and forced fumbles are nflverse's weekly stats; pressures, targets, catches and yards allowed, passer rating allowed and missed tackles are PFR's charting. Snap share is the season average of defensive snaps.