The Jacksonville Jaguars are the AFC South Champions.
After beginning the 12 months with a 3-7 report, the Jaguars limped into their bye week after a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Jacksonville confronted a three-game deficit within the win column within the division, behind the 6-3 Tennessee Titans.
My how issues modified down the second half of the 12 months for Jacksonville.
The Jaguars gained six of their closing seven video games, together with Saturday evening’s 19-16 victory over those self same Titans, clinching the AFC South and establishing a house playoff sport on Wild Card Weekend.
An enormous a part of their turnaround?
Their protection.
During their 3-7 begin, the Jacksonville protection was across the center of the pack. The Jaguars protection ranked 18th within the league in Expected Points Allowed per Play, and have been twenty first within the NFL in Dropback EPA Allowed per Play:
But since then, the Jaguars have been one of many higher defenses within the league. Since Week 12, when the Jaguars got here off their bye week and beat the Baltimore Ravens by a closing rating of 28-27, Jacksonville’s protection has been sixth within the NFL in EPA Allowed per Play, and tenth within the NFL in EPA per Dropback:
While Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville offense garnered the majority of consideration in comeback wins over the Ravens and later the Dallas Cowboys, their protection has been an enormous a part of their turnaround.
And that was on full show Saturday evening, notably within the second half, when the Jacksonville protection pissed off Tennessee passer Josh Dobbs, and created the sport’s greatest play.
We will get to the landing in a second, however first we will take a look at performs like this third and seven by means of halfway by means of the third quarter. The Titans have a 13-10 lead, and are simply outdoors the purple zone. Dobbs aligns within the shotgun, as Tennessee makes use of a bunch formation to the best facet of the sphere.
But the QB is flushed from the pocket, due to Arden Key on one facet of the formation, and a strain bundle from the opposite facet:
Prior to the snap, Jacksonville places 5 defenders on the road of scrimmage, with three of these to the best facet of the offense together with Key, who’s aligned over rookie proper deal with Nicholas Petit-Frere, and cross rusher Josh Allen, who’s aligned outdoors of Key. But with different defenders lurking on the opposite facet of the formation, Dobbs shifts working again Hassan Haskins to the left facet of the offense, the place Travon Walker and Foyesade Oluokun are lurking.
As the play begins, the middle, proper guard and proper deal with slide to the best. These three are left to dam simply two defenders, as Allen drops off the sting into cross protection. On the opposite facet, Walker and Oluokun each come after the quarterback, joined by cornerback Tyson Campbell off the sting.
Walker and Oluokun are picked up, however Campbell has a free run on the quarterback. That begins to flush Dobbs to his proper, however as he begins to maneuver from the pocket, Key works previous Petit-Frere.
Dobbs beats the primary two threats to the nook, however he can’t beat the third: Roy Robertson-Harris. Under strain, the QB places a throw on the toes of Robert Woods, which falls incomplete.
Early within the fourth quarter, an inside stunt allowed the Jaguars to get off the sphere on third down. With the Titans going through a third and seven, Tennessee put Dobbs within the shot gun with three receivers to the best. Again, Jacksonville places three defenders on the best facet of the offensive line, this time with rookie cross rusher Travon Walker outdoors the left deal with. Rookie linebacker Devin Lloyd can also be lurking, over the left facet of the offensive line.
Off the snap, Walker explodes from the sting and into the pocket, and his quickness is the preliminary purpose Dobbs has to climb the pocket. That’s when the inside stunt begins to trigger an issue. On the within, Robertson-Harris and Key have executed a stunt, and that frees Key for a run on the QB.
As we noticed on the primary instance, Dobbs is ready to keep away from the primary two threats. But he can’t keep away from the third, which once more, is Robertson-Harris:
Dobbs climbs the pocket to keep away from Walker, and wriggles out of Key’s grasp. But that’s when Robertson-Harris will get dwelling for the sack, forcing a Tennessee punt.
Still, the Jaguars offense couldn’t get something going after that punt, and with simply over three minutes remaining, the Titans nonetheless led the sport.
That’s when the sport modified, for good:
This alignment and strain bundle is similar to the primary instance, the third and seven from halfway by means of the third quarter. Jacksonville places three defenders on the best facet of the offense, together with Key over the best deal with and Allen on the skin. But once more, Allen drops into protection.
On the opposite facet, Walker and Lloyd have been lurking in two-point stances — just like Walker and Oluokun on the play from the third quarter — with a defensive again over the tight finish. This time it’s Rayshawn Jenkins who blitzes.
And will get dwelling.
After the sport, Dobbs indicated that he wanted to do a greater job of getting the ball out of his palms. He holds onto it only a half-step too lengthy, and that’s sufficient for Jenkins to pop the ball free, setting the stage for the defensive landing.
Still, Tennessee had time to drag out the win, and the Jacksonville protection wanted another cease. With the massive play being strain off the sting from Allen working in opposition to the rookie proper deal with:
Allen beats Petit-Frere off the sting, getting his palms to the soccer and knocking it free from Dobbs. The QB manages to carry onto the ball, snatching it out of mid-air, however the lack of 5 yards places the Titans into third and lengthy.
Jacksonville would drive brief throws on the subsequent two performs, and take over on downs.
In the approaching days, the eye will doubtless flip to Lawrence, and the potential Wild Card shootout between him and one other of the sport’s younger passers, Justin Herbert. With the outcomes on Sunday, the Jaguars will host the Los Angeles Chargers subsequent weekend.
We stay up for speaking about that sport.
But earlier than turning the web page to that contest, it was essential to level out what the Jaguars protection did on Saturday evening.
Because they gave us an opportunity to speak about what we’re going to see on Wild Card Weekend.