One of the Jacksonville Jaguars three defensive acquisitions last week, nose tackle Davon Godchaux, started on Nov. 15 against the Tennessee Titans and had a minimal impact with one tackle in 17 snaps.
Perhaps when defensive tackle Jordan Davis and safety Jessie Bates III play for the first time on Nov. 22 against the New York Giants, the true measure of what the Jaguars think they got in value will be realized.
But for one more week, the Jaguars defense struggled with some familiar issues in a 40-23 victory over the Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
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Pass rush struggles again
The Jaguars anemic pass rush continued with only one sack on Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward, by safety Antonio Johnson on a blitz. Ward was hit only three other times and threw for 231 yards and rushing for 39.
In fairness to the Jaguars, the Titans’ plan was for Ward to get rid of the ball as fast as possible, which is one reason why his number of sacks (55 last season) has been cut drastically regardless of who he’s faced.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 15: Travis Hunter #12 of the Jacksonville Jaguars intercepts the intended pass to Elic Ayomanor #5 of the Tennessee Titans during the first half of the game at Nissan Stadium on November 15, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
The book on getting Godchaux and Davis is that they might be able to collapse the middle of the offensive front and create more opportunities for edge rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. To be continued.
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Jaguars run defense getting leaky
The Jaguars gave up 6.2 yards per rush to the Titans and allowed three runs of 14, 15 and 26 yards (the latter by Ward on a scramble). That’s not good enough for a defense that was proud and vocally so of its distinction as the No. 1 rush defense in the NFL in the first two months of the season. They dropped to fifth entering this week and might fall further.
In the first five games of the season, the Jaguars gave up 63.8 rushing yards per game and 2.7 per carry. In the last four they’ve given up 125 yards per game and 5.0 per carry.
Pollard and Tony Spears combined for 61 yards and 4.7 yards per carry. Pollard caught eight passes for 66 yards including a 32-yard TD run in which Jaguars linebackers Foye Oluokun and Ventrell Miller and defensive backs Jarrian Jones and Rayuan Lane missed tackles, and missed them badly.
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Again, will Davis and Godchaux, when he’s fully acclimated to the system, get the Jaguars defense back to that kind of stinginess? Bates, a sure tackler, may also help. But in the coming weeks, the Jaguars face New York’s Cam Skattebo, Pollard again, Chicago’s D’Andre Swift and Pittsburgh’s Jaylen Warren. The run defense needs to get back to where it was in the first month.
Titans burned Jags with big plays
Explosive plays from all sides were key plays for the Titans. There was a deep ball from Ward to Elic Ayomanor for 50 yards, Ward’s 26-yard scramble (which had 15 yards added when Miller was called for a borderline late hit) and Pollard’s touchdown. There were also some little plays where the Titans willed two fourth-down conversions, one from their own 28.
Nov 15, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) throws a pass as Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Dennis Gardeck (47) defends during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Playing complementary defense hasn’t been an issue this season, until the fourth quarter against Tennessee.
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The offense finally got it to a two-score game when Trevor Lawrence’s 25-yard TD pass to Josh Cameron made it 30-14 with 9:44 left. That should have been the dagger but the Titans then went 65 yards in four plays, capped by Pollard’s score.
However, the Jaguars defense did come through after that. Following Cam Little’s fourth field goal to make it 33-23, linebacker Dennis Gardeck brushed aside tight end Gunnar Helm and nailed Pollard for a 1-yard loss when the Titans tried to convert and fourth-and-1 at their own 29.
Travis Hunter’s interception in the first quarter, his third of the season, was a diving thing of beauty. And Johnson’s sack was huge, forcing the Titans to settle for a Joey Slye field goal late in the third quarter after Tennessee had reached the Jags. 28.
The Titans had the right game plan and certainly have nothing to lose. But the Jaguars will face better offenses going forward. Will newcomers Godchaux, Davis and Bates pay dividends?
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars defense struggled vs. Titans. Will newcomers help next week in NY?
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
