This time: defensive end.

Here are the other parts of the series: QB, OL, WR, TE, RB, DT

Here we see the rare knockdown of a quarterback by a Jaguar.  Source: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

The 4-3 defensive end is a premium position in the NFL.  It can bring the player glory if they are successful and it can help push a team into the playoffs or to the Super Bowl.  Players like Jared Allen and Cameron Wake have made names for themselves through their ability to overpower, outsmart, or outmaneuver offensive tackles in their nearly constant quest of sacking the quarterback.  Perhaps no position on defense can dominate a game quite like a defensive end can.

The Jaguars didn’t have a dominant defensive end all through the season.  No defensive end notched more than three sacks, even.  At a position that can wreak havoc on the opponent and save the day for the defense, the Jaguars had nobody.  It was a practically non-existant position the entire season.

Diagnosing 2-14 could have been summed up simply by talking about the defensive front four for the Jaguars – there were problems beyond that, so we gave them more attention – because the team did better in 2011 with similar talent along the front four.  This year was supposed to be further development for those players, instead we got sub par performance after sub par performance.

A big part of a defensive end’s performance is his third and fourth down pass rushing productivity.  Pro Football Focus measured this just before week 15 of the 2012 season and found the usual culprits in the top ten: Von Miller, Cameron Wake, J.J. Watt, and (surprise) Jacksonville’s Jason Babin at fourth.  Unfortunately for the Jaguars, Babin arrived to the team on week 13 due to his “inefficiency” with the Philadelphia Eagles.  In Jacksonville he joined a mediocre cast.

The Jags were a sad bunch at defensive end.  Jeremy Mincey got a nice deal after a “breakout” 2011 campaign, only to contribute three sacks, 10 QB hits, and 22 QB hurries.  Austen Lane was expected to be a bigger contributor in 2012 but only contributed two sacks, six hits, and 10 hurries.  Second round 2012 draft pick Andre Branch was expected to be an immediate contributor but only managed to help with one sack, two hits, and 11 hurries.

It was a sad, depressed, and maddening year at defensive end.  Every defensive end on the team, except Babin, graded poorly in the pass rush.  They were ineffective.  Babin was with the team for only four weeks and managed to finish seventh on the team with 1.5 sacks in four games.  The Jags made up for it by being above average in run support, but with the interior line doing everything it possibly could to allow running backs room it did little to ease the pain on the Jaguars’ defense.

Inefficient and ineffective, the Jaguars were found wanting at a premium position.  Babin should be back for next season but it wouldn’t shock me to see an entirely different cast around him as the Jags try to dig out of 2-14.

Next we’ll look at the linebackers.

- Luke N. Sims

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“We play well when the spread is THIS big!” Rob Foldy-US PRESSWIRE

“We play well when the spread is THIS big!”

The Jaguars are going to need a Herculean effort just to be in this game at halftime, let alone have a chance at winning this game. The recent trend for the team is to get down big early (see: Lions, Colts) and then score some garbage points at the end. If the offense can just figure out how to translate that 4^th quarter consistency over to the first half, the game might at least be interesting. So how might Sunday play out? Just take my weekly predictions and assume the opposite – that tends to work well.

Oct 28, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Cecil Shorts (84) stretches before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE

Blaine Gabbert will throw for 200+ yards and a touchdown: FACT

The final seven games of the season have one overlying theme – is Blaine Gabbert still the quarterback of the future? If he wants to provide some hope, he needs to start producing against good defenses like the one he’s going to face Sunday. Blaine’s overall yardage production has increased incrementally over the season, particularly when he gets the ball to Cecil Shorts. Everyone’s still waiting on Justin Blackmon to show up, but Laurent Robinson got involved in the offense often last week. Gabbert looks like he’s getting into a rhythm on offense and if the coaching staff starts using the no-huddle more, Gabbert’s production should increase.

Arian Foster will have less than 100 yards rushing: FICTION

What’s one reason the Texans have such good rushing numbers? They get ahead early and ride out that lead. Unfortunately, the Jaguars are quite adept at getting behind early. This means Foster and Ben Tate are going to get a ton of work early and often. The Texans are really built on running the football and play-action, so expect them to take a few shots if they can’t get Jacksonville down big in the first half.

The Texans will have more than 4 sacks: FACT

The offensive line has played better as of late, but they’re still generally giving up a few sacks a game. The last time they played the Texans, they gave up 3 sacks, 1.5 from JJ Watt. With the way the running game has been struggling, I expect the Jaguars to start going into three-receiver sets more often, leaving Gabbert vulnerable in the pocket. MJD’s absence has had a much more significant effect on the running game than most anticipated, and it’s certainly affecting the passing offense and pass-protection.

Austen Lane will record a sack: FACT

With all the disappointing play on defense, particularly on the defensive line, a lone bright spot has been Austen Lane’s steady play. I’m going out on a pretty shaky limb predicting a sack for the defense at all (the Jaguars only have 10 on the season), but if anyone has a chance it’s Lane.

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/AlfieBCC/status/269165793206480896"]

Can the Jaguars cover the 15.5 point spread? Absolutely – the Jaguars have become masters of the back-door cover this season, particularly when the spread is massive. Winning the game outright is a totally different story. Unless the defense that stymied Green Bay a few weeks ago shows up, the Jaguars are likely in for another long day.

Texans 31 – Jaguars 17

- Daniel Lago

Yet the unit is on the rise.

Since the bye week the Jaguars defense has been stout against the run and has shut down Aaron Rodgers.  Further, they have racked up four sacks (two for Jeremy Mincey) in the past two games.  That’s more than half of the sacks (7) they have had on the season.  Last week against Aaron Rodgers and using a depleted secondary the Jaguars were able to limit Rodgers to a meager 186 yards while limiting the running game to under 70 yards total.  The Jaguars had yet to limit the opposition to under 100 yards on the ground until the Raiders game two weeks ago.

This unit is finding its groove at the right time for the Jaguars.

Matt Stafford is a gunslinging quarterback who could hurt the Jaguars this next week, but if the unit continues to gel tehy may be able to bottle up the runners and force Stafford into some ill-advised throws.  This could get good for the Jaguars defense.  Of course this is all speculation but you can’t deny the high the team has been on the past two weeks.

This week could be a return to dominance for the Jaguars defense. The pass rush and good containment when rushing has contributed to two decent outing for the Jaguars D.  If they can do it again it will go a long way toward promoting more success in the second half of the season.

- Luke N. Sims