After losing to Denver, Jaguars star edge rusher Travon Walker said the defensive line is focusing on correcting small details.
The Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive line had a very sharp decline in production from Week 1 to Week 2.
In the season-opening win against the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville had five total sacks, including 1.5 each from edge rushers Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen.
Not only did Jacksonville make life miserable for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson all game, but they also limited Cleveland's running game. If you take away Watson's six rushes for 38 yards, the Jaguars held the rest of the Browns' designed running plays to 49 yards on 16 carries.
However, in the loss to the Denver Broncos last week, the Jaguars' d-line took a tremendous step backwards. Jacksonville's defense recorded zero sacks of QB Bo Nix and allowed Denver to rush for 107 yards (not counting three Nix kneel-downs), despite injuries to top running backs J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey.
Things don't get much easier for the Jaguars in Week 3 as they prepare to take on the New England Patriots, who were last season's AFC champions.
Earlier this week, head coach Liam Coen spoke about the team's need to "move on and respond" after their nine-game regular-season winning streak came to an end against Denver.
Travon Walker spoke with Action Sports Jax and talked about the defensive line needing to get back to basics against the Patriots. He said the line is focusing on the little things and believes they started the practice week with great energy and focus.
Small Details
Walker talked about what the defensive line was focused on in practice, saying they were ironing out the small details.
"We just wanna potentially iron out those small details within our technique, whether that be hand placement, eyes, things of that nature..."
Walker was also asked about the Patriots' quarterback Drake Maye and the problems he presents for Jacksonville's defense.
"Drake Maye is a great athlete. He can run around. He can throw the ball downfield as well... He's a great player...On the defensive side of the ball, we got to be sharp on our details and make sure we contain him."
After being held in check by the Broncos' terrific offensive line, it is smart for defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile to get his defensive line back to focusing on the fundamentals.
It sounds like Walker thinks the defensive line started off practice with the type of attitude and energy it needs to recover and get back to basics this week.
Final Thoughts
If Jacksonville wants to beat the Patriots, the defensive line will need to play much better than it did against the Broncos.
Maye is a quarterback who can beat a defense with his arm or his legs. Although he hasn't played up to his potential so far, Maye is always a huge threat that a defense must focus on.
Ironing out the small details, as Walker notes, could be the difference between winning and losing on Sunday.
If the Jaguars are able to pull out a victory this week and prove they can bounce back from a loss, it will be one of the team's best and most important wins in the Liam Coen era.
