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Inside the game: Jaguars defense, with help from rookie Tevin Smith, moving in right direction
Sun, Oct 19, 2014 @ 9:30 pm | updated Sun, Oct 19, 2014 @ 10:47 pm
The Jaguars’ defensive line was never the problem.
However, playmakers had to emerge behind the front four.
One finally did Sunday.
Linebacker Telvin Smith created two turnovers that led to 10 points in a 24-6 victory over Cleveland at EverBank Field.
The rookie out of Florida State forced a fumble while sacking Cleveland quarterback Brian Hoyer that linebacker Paul Posluszny recovered and returned to the Cleveland 25-yard line. Smith picked Hoyer off later in the game, returning it 17 yards to the Browns’ 7-yard line.
The fifth-round pick nearly had another interception that hit off his hands in the game. The 6-foot-3, 218-pound Smith was credited with four tackles.
“I’ve always considered myself a playmaker,” Smith said. “People have always said I’m undersized, but I just make plays that change the game. I’m not patting myself on the back. This is who I am and who I can continue to be in the NFL. … Today was definitely a break-out game.”
Smith provided the game-changing plays needed to secure the victory, but the Jaguars’ front four made the biggest statement.
Cleveland entered the game ranked third in the NFL in rushing yards at 146.4 a game. The Jaguars held the Browns to 69 yards on 30 carries, a 2.3-yard average.
“This is one of the better defensive fronts in all of football,” Cleveland coach Mike Pettine said. “When we ran the ball, they clearly out-executed us.”
The Jaguars limited Cleveland to 266 yards and stopped them on all three fourth-down tries.
“We out-physicaled them and out-schemed them,” Jaguars defensive tackle Roy Miller said. “We took it upon ourselves to stop the run, because we knew that’s what they wanted to do. These are the things you look for as a young team. This will encourage guys and build confidence.”
The Jaguars are trying to build momentum. The defense has shaken off the blown assignments that cost them dearly in the first few weeks of the season.
Josh Evans has stabilized the free safety spot. Now, when the line does its job opposing receivers usually aren’t running free downfield anyway. On Sunday, even a 65-yard pass ended up in a Cleveland punt.
“Everybody played the game above the neck,” Jaguars defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks said. “The game is so precise. It’s an inch game. You’ve got to play above the neck and that’s what happened today.”
Marks said Smith’s performance was a prime example.
“That’s exactly how the defense works,” Marks said. “On the pick he missed, he had the right drop, the right depth. He was exactly where he’s supposed to be. Same with the one he caught. Don’t go out of your way to make a play. The plays will come to you.”
The Jaguars were more effective with their blitzes. Jaguars coach Gus Bradley doesn’t like to blitz much, but Smith and Posluszny sacked Hoyer.
“Our d-line did a great job,” Posluszny said. “They really set the tempo. When we did pressure, we always got home.”
With nine games remaining, the Jaguars defense is starting to show the signs of what was expected of it in the offseason. The Jaguars went 4-4 in the second half of last season largely because of defensive improvement.
Then, general manager Dave Caldwell fortified the line with free-agent additions in ends Red Bryant and Chris Clemons and tackle Ziggy Hood.
The Jaguars gave up an average of 38 points a game through their first four contests. Over the last three, opponents have scored 39 total and that’s counting a Blake Bortles pick six against Pittsburgh in a 17-9 loss on Oct. 5.
The Jaguars have held opponents to under 20 points in three consecutive games for the first time since 2007.
Holding the Browns to six points with Bortles throwing three interceptions was a major positive for this defense’s resume.
The red-zone defense is improving with teams finding the end zone twice on their last 13 possessions inside the Jaguars’ 20-yard line.
The yardage allowed has dropped over the last three weeks. Pittsburgh gained 372 yards, followed by 290 by Tennessee and 266 by the Browns on Sunday.
The Jaguars are getting to the quarterback with 22 sacks this season, tying the second-most in franchise history over the first seven games.
The foundation is set for the next nine games with the defensive line. Now, the rest of the defense is supplying the big plays the line should help create.
“I hate that it took six games, but we’re definitely coming together as a defense,” Smith said.
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