Did Jaguars' Pass Rush Turn a Corner in Sunday's Victory?

The Jacksonville Jaguars' defense put forth a strong effort on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals' potent offensive attack, forcing two interceptions and holding them to just 17 points.

Forcing turnovers has been a constant for defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile's unit dating back to last season.

But, getting pressure on the quarterback was a struggle through the opening through weeks, with the team recording just 13 QB hits.

On Sunday, the Jaguars had by far their most-effective pass rushing game of the year, recording two sacks and a whopping 11 hits on Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

The EDGE pair of Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker combined for five of these hits, while six other Jaguars each got to Burrow once.

Going forward, this is an extremely positive sign for Jacksonville, who is relying on Walker to take that next step forward in the first year of his extension.

After recording 10 or more sacks in both 2023 and 2024, Walker finished last season with his lowest sack total (3.5) since his rookie year.

But, he had a very strong offseason, and has already looked more productive and explosive off the edge.

Injuries were a big reason for Walker's lack of pressure last season, as he talked about the struggles of dealing with multiple different ailments.

"Playing with one hand as a defensive lineman, it's hard to do certain things," Walker said in early-April. "But I definitely tried to do my best within what I could do with limited range of motion, things of that nature."

Hines-Allen, on the other hand, is looking to increase his mark as the Jaguars' all-time sack man, after setting the record last season.

As the longest tenured player on the defense, Hines-Allen led Jacksonville to the top rushing defense in the NFL, allowing just 85.6 rushing yards per game.

He also posted his fifth-straight season with seven or more sacks, once again leading Jacksonville's pressure unit.

Like Walker, Hines-Allen was praised for his offseason, with the eighth-year man wreaking havoc at joint practice sessions with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Hines-Allen himself tweeted about his success in Tampa, responding via X "I keep seeing these one on one rushes from Tampa bay, those good rushes but the way we was doing them boys on that other field. MAN!!!!"

Following the session, Hines-Allen said that he and his defensive line teammates were looking to replicate last year's success against the run, while also leading the league in sacke.

Thus far, Hines-Allen and Walker have each recorded 1.5 sacks, with Jacksonville as a whole ranking within the middle of the NFL (10).

Next Sunday, the Jaguars will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles' stout offensive line, presenting a big challenge for the defensive line to overcome.