Jaguar Report

Jaguars Defensive Keys Remain the Same, But a Different Outcome is Needed Vs. Titans

The Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping for a different outcome in the second of 2020's series with the Tennessee Titans. But looking back on the decent amount of success from Week 2, the game plan for Sunday will remain much the same.

Kassidy Hill

The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-11) will be facing another familiar foe this weekend when they welcome the Tennessee Titans (8-4) to town. Back in Week 2, the Titans were the first loss in what became an 11-game losing streak for the Jags. But the 33-30 game was also one of the most competent game plans—on both offense and defense—that the Jaguars put together this season.

As the season has evolved, so have both teams. But when it comes to the Jags defensive plan for the Titans, much of the game plan has stayed the same with these three defensive keys.

Derrick Henry

Derrick Henry is such a problem, that simply his name implies an entire game plan. Back in Week 2, the Jags were able to hold King Henry to 84 yards on 25 rushes (3.36 average) and no touchdowns. The success came from an all-out attack on the mammoth running back.

Henry gets stronger as the season progresses; he was averaging 4.6 yards per play. Now on the back half of the year, he’s picking up an average of 5.3 yards per touch. That means the game plan from Week 2 now must be married with the gut check of late-season games.

“It’s definitely a want to, especially later on in the season when everyone’s body starts hurting. I mean if you haven’t noticed his numbers go crazy like halfway through the season,” points out defensive end Dawuane Smoot.

The Titans are known as a play-action offense (more on that below) and that’s developed around Henry first opening things up with the run game. So the key to a win, as safety Jarrod Wilson explains, always starts and ends with stopping Henry.

“We know this guy. We know this guy’s going to get the football a lot and he’s coming downhill. We definitely have to execute, stay in our gaps, being just discipline in the run game. That’s a big thing for us is to definitely knock out this run. We know he’s getting the ball, so it’s really just man on man, trying to match up and do our job on Sunday.”

Smoot adds that it will be from his role on the edge that the Jaguars must contain the power back.

“It was definitely gang tackling and it was a lot of send the edges [in Week 2]. We already know these tackles. They like to really just lunge out and kind of just dive on you a little bit. We just have to make sure we’re using our hands and be able to set edges.”

Jonnu Smith

While not quite “the name” as Derrick Henry, Titans tight end Jonnu Smith is a weapon for quarterback Ryan Tannehill that is arguably just as deadly. The Jaguars weren’t able to stop him at all back in September, as he slipped behind the defense time and time again, to the tune of four receptions on five targets for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

Smith was listed as limited on the Titans Wednesday injury report (knee) but returned to full participation on Thursday. Stopping the 6-3, 248-pound tight end will require just as much attention as Henry before he slashes through the Jags front and backend once again.

“His size and his speed is a tough matchup,” states Wash.

“He’s a tough draw just because he can run so well and he’s a big body. I think he runs very precise routes for a tight end. To me, he’s one of the better tight ends in the league that you’ve got to defend. Obviously, there’s a couple that are elite, but he’s one of the best ones and just the size and the speed is a tough matchup.”

The Play-Action

Henry and Smith—among others—are two sides of the play-action coin flip Tennessee runs for its offense. The master of the play-action, quarterback Ryan Tannehill, can set up the passing game due to the balanced attack he has across the roster.

Stopping Henry is of course the first verse in this song. But if the Jaguars are able to shut down the big back and make him ineffective, getting Tennessee into 3rd and long situations, the game plan will have effectively taken away the play-action option and forced Tannehill to take the game to the air—most likely with downfield shots—and invite any inconstancy that could change his entire game around.

“It all starts with the running game, when they can get that rolling,” reminds Wash.

“And then, obviously, the play-action game is what Tannehill really thrives on, is the play-action game. So, we’ve got to be able to hopefully stop the run and get him in situations where it’s going to be a drop-back instead of play action. You know, your linebackers are trying to get downhill and then all of a sudden, they drop one behind you. So, to me, he’s playing very consistently. Obviously, he doesn’t make a lot of poor decisions with the football. But to me, it all starts with the running game and their play-action.”

The Jaguars take on the Titans in Jacksonville at 1 p.m. on Sunday. 

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Kassidy Hill
KASSIDY HILL

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