Can Jaguars Take Advantage on Defensive Weaknesses?

The middle of a football field is crucial for offenses to penetrate, but it is patrolled mostly by inside linebackers who have to wear many hats.

They need to be effective tacklers because a whole lot of action occurs there, play downhill and stop the run, be versatile enough to drop into coverage and cover a mammoth tight end or a speedy receiver. Plus, a "Mike" linebacker typically wears the green dot as the communications liaison between the players and the coaching staff. It's a pretty big deal.

For the Jacksonville Jaguars to realize the potential that they think they have, they are going to have to continuously move the chains and make a habit out of penetrating the belly of the football field. This is a definite possibility as the Jaguars have 12 games against teams ranked below No. 21 and lower in PFF's rankings of every team's linebacking units.

The Jaguars don't face the top-ranked linebackers room in the form of the Philadelphia Eagles this season, and they will only see three top-ten units on their schedule. The Kansas City Chiefs at No. 4 are the best of the bunch and invade Duval on Monday Night Football in Week 5.

"The Chiefs have several trustworthy players for different linebacker roles. Nick Bolton is the leader of the defense, though his PFF grades have declined since his first two excellent seasons. Leo Chenalranks second in the NFL over the past two seasons with a 91.8 PFF run-defense grade. Drue Tranquillis a consistent performer who has recorded a 68.8 PFF overall grade across his two years in Kansas City. Special teams ace Jack Cochrane and fifth-round rookie Jeffrey Bassa provide additional depth."

A week prior to the MNF battle with the Chiefs, Jacksonville has to travel way across the country with a tough task of moving the ball against the NFC's San Francisco 49ers.

"Just having Fred Warner as the centerpiece of a linebacker unit merits a high spot in these rankings. His 89.2 PFF overall grade in 2024 ranked second in the NFL, behind Philadelphia's Zack Baun. Warner’s 92.3 PFF overall grade over the past five seasons leads the NFL, and he is quickly building a Hall of Fame case as each season passes by."

Then there's a conference foe that Jacksonville seems to see quite a bit on theirs schedule, the New York J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets.

"New York is perfectly capable of handling C.J. Mosley’s recent retirement after the emergence and re-signing of Jamien Sherwood last season. Sherwood played more than 1,000 snaps and earned a 73.8 PFF overall grade that ranked 18th among qualified linebackers in 2024. Veteran Quincy Williams posted a solid 68.0 PFF overall grade himself, though that represents a decline from his stellar 2023."

Where the team from North Florida has a chance to thrive would be a multitude of games against the LB rooms that rank near barrell's bottom. They are No. 21 Las Vegas, two games against division rival Houston at No. 23, No. 24 Seattle, Los Angeles' Rams at No. 26 and the No. 28 Chargers, 29th-ranked Arizona, No. 30 Carolina and twice against the Colts and Titans at No. 31 and 32 respectively.

The Jaguars have enough weapons to make a living over the middle in many a manner with a fine stable of RBS and a dynamic TE in Brenton Strange. If they can manage a nice time share in that area of the gridiron, then there will be plenty of nauseated bellies of NFL beasts courtesy of Duval's finest.

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