Why the Jaguars' Pass-Rush Will Hold the Key against Browns

For the Jacksonville Jaguars to overcome their 0-1 start, they will need their pass-rush to take over vs. the Cleveland Browns.

Aug 10, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) takes the field for a preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars spent the offseason emphasizing their strength along the defensive line. Now, it is time for them to flex their muscle and prove their game-changing ability.

The Jaguars' pass-rush, led by Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker and Arik Armstead, sacked Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa three times but ultimately the Dolphins used a quick-passing attack to negate the Jaguars' rush.

Only four quarterbacks were pressured fewer than the seven times Tagovailoa was pressured, and Tagovailoa's 17.5 percent pressure rate was the third-lowest in Week 1. This isn't because the Jaguars' pass-rush was merely getting blanked, but because of the style of football the Dolphins play.

"I feel like their offense, they did a great job with the scheme that they were in. Got the ball out quick and attacked. They know they had the edge rushers that they had," Jaguars edge defender Travon Walker said on Monday.

"And the screen game, I feel like we could done a better job of redirecting and getting out to help the DBs make those tackles on the edge. But I feel like they did a great job of getting the ball out quick."

The stakes are different in Week 2, however. This time, the Jaguars' pass-rush will be able to pin their ears back at a different pace than they did in Week 1, in large part because of how different Tagovailoa is compared to Cleveland Browns' quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Against the Jaguars, Tagovailoa got the ball out of his hands in an average of 2.52 seconds, the fourth-fastest time in Week 1 per NFL Pro and Next Gen Stats. Watson's time to throw against the Dallas Cowboys? 2.82 seconds, which ranked No. 20 among quarterbacks.

As such, it is little surprise to see Watson was sacked six times in Week 1. He was behind a banged-up offensive line, held onto the ball too long, and played a great pass-rush. Watson was the most-sacked quarterback in Week 1, the only quarterback to be pressured more than 18 times (he was pressured 25 times), and had the third-highest pressure rate (44.6 percent) among all quarterbacks.

Perhaps the Browns get healthier at offensive tackle this week. Perhaps Watson does a better job of getting the ball out of his hands. But if the Jaguars' pass-rush is as good as it is supposed to be, then they will dictate Week 2.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.