Can the Jaguars Slow Down the Bears' Game-Changing Pass-Rusher?

What can the Jacksonville Jaguars do to slow down Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat?

Nov 19, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) is sacked by Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat (98) in the fourth quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears will pose a challenge to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London for a number of reasons.

A talented and natural playmaker at quarterback; an explosive downfield threat at wide receiver; a deep stable of running backs; a talented linebacker duo; lock-down defenders in the secondary. The list can go on.

But perhaps the biggest challenge the Jaguars will face is defensive end Montez Sweat, whose presence in the Bear's front-line has helped turn the defense around since last season.

"Defensively, this is a good defense. They’re one of the top-scoring defenses since they got Montez Sweat and rightfully so. He’s a great player, great edge rusher, so we’ve got our work cut out for us," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said this week.

The Jaguars' locker room sees the same as their head coach. When asked about the Bears' strong defense this week, Jaguars running back Travis Etienne mentioned his name first.

“I mean, I feel like you’ve got Montez Sweat out there. I feel like we've got to be dialed in for him, we can't let him wreck the game," Etienne said.

This specific Jaguars staff has plenty of experience with Sweat; Sweat had an eight-pressure day against the Jaguars in Week 1 in 2022, and Pederson and Taylor each had to face him twice a year while with the Eagles.

"Played against him when he got into Washington in the NFC East, when we were in Philadelphia, tons of length. He's got a variety of pass rush moves, but he's able to affect the quarterback," Taylor said on Thursday.

"What he's done really well since he's been there is take the football away. That's something they do really well as a defense."

Taylor knows the kind of system Sweat is now thriving in. He spent the 2021 season with the Colts, where Eberflus was a coordinator for a final season. Now, he will see Eberflus' defense again, but this time with a top pass-rusher on the edge of it.

I spent a year with Coach Eberflus in Indianapolis as well and he preaches it. I mean, watching them practice, the way they go after the football, calls it their shots on goal, that type of stuff," Taylor said.

"That is something that they've been very good at from his time as a defense coordinator across the league. So Montez Sweat is just another guy that adds to that, honestly. They do a great job in coverage. So now providing another dangerous pass rush element on top of how they play in the back end and how well they defend the pass. Obviously, that's a challenge for us.”

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