Brian Baldinger believes Jacksonville's defense is the NFL's best, praising its three-pronged approach.
Heading into this season, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense looked like one of the best in the NFL.
With a head coach in Liam Coen, who is one of the league’s brightest offensive minds and best play-callers, and an MVP-level quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, the offense was in great hands.
Especially when you factor in Jacksonville’s stable of wide receivers, which may be the deepest in the league, and a young running back in Bhayshul Tuten, who has home run speed and potential to be a star.
The offense has been as advertised through three games, but it is the defense that has exceeded expectations.
The Jaguars have given up the fewest points (36) in the NFL thus far, and the defense has continued to be strong against the run after being the league’s best run defense last year.
Jacksonville is also still forcing turnovers consistently. Last season, the Jaguars registered 31 takeaways, the second-most in the league, and already have six through three games this year.
Travis Hunter finally snared his first interception in last week’s dominant victory over the New England Patriots. The second-year phenom has tremendous ball-hawking skills at cornerback and has the ability to create several more turnovers before the season is over.
It is easy to see why defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile is expected to become a head coach as soon as next season. Under his leadership, Jacksonville’s defense has turned into one of the stingiest in the league.
In fact, at least one prominent analyst believes the Jaguars’ defense is the best in the NFL.
Brian Baldinger thinks the Jaguars' defense is tops in the league and talked about it on X, praising the defense's talent, disciplined scheme, and being fundamentally sound.
Highlights Goal Line Stance
Baldinger highlighted Jacksonville's goal-line stance against the Patriots, which resulted in Hunter's pick on third down. He pointed out that the Jaguars had every gap covered on the running plays on both first and second down. Then, on third down, he highlighted the Jaguars having everyone covered in man coverage while others pressured Drake Maye.
"They literally have an answer for everything that you do...That's a good defense...That Anthony Campanile can flat-out coach."
Very high praise from one of the most knowledgeable and respected analysts out there.
Final Thoughts
If Jacksonville's defense plays as it did against the Patriots, it may very well be the best in the league. The defense can get to the quarterback, stop the run, and force turnovers at a very high rate. That presents huge problems for opposing offenses every week.
With the offense playing at a very high level, if the defense continues to play this way, Jacksonville is a definite Super Bowl contender.
The defense has a tough challenge this Sunday when the Jaguars take on the Cincinnati Bengals. Jacksonville's cornerbacks must find a way to contain the star WR duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Sunday's matchup should be one of the most exciting in the NFL's Week 4 slate.
