Missed Tackles Plague the Jaguars
By Luke Sims
The Jacksonville Jaguars have struggled with missed tackles all season long. A missed tackle is a major concern for a defense that has allowed big play after big play all season long, most recently to Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant who outmuscled defender after defender enroute to 158 yards and two touchdowns.
Per PFF, The Jaguars finished the day with eight missed tackles.
In comparison, the Dallas Cowboys had just one on the day.
This trend is similar for other weeks.
Week 9: Jaguars – nine missed tackles, Cincinnati Bengals – four
Week 8: Jaguars – eight missed tackles, Miami Dolphins – four
Week 7: Jaguars – four missed tackles, Cleveland Browns – four
Week 6: Jaguars – 11 missed tackles, Tennessee Titans – seven
Week 5: Jaguars – four missed tackles, Pittsburgh Steelers – three
Week 4: Jaguars – one missed tackle, San Diego Chargers – four
Week 3: Jaguars – 14 missed tackles, Indianapolis Colts – four
Week 2: Jaguars – 17 missed tackles, Washington Redskins – three
Week 1: Jaguars – 15 missed tackles, Philadelphia Eagles – six
Sunday’s game against the Cowboys was simply a continuation is a terrible trend for the Jags. The team has missed over 10 tackles on four occasions this year! The eight that they missed against Dallas was actually one missed tackle below the per game average of 9.1. (Should we call that improvement, then?)
In comparison, the teams the Jaguars have lost to show that disciplined defenses that wrap up and bring down the ball carrier win. Four missed tackles seems the average to guarantee a win (with week seven against the Browns as an exception) but the Jags still lost against teams like the Titans and Eagles who allowed more than the magic number of four.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars have won their only game with just four missed tackles. Coincidence, I think not. (The San Diego game is an obvious outlier)
The Jags need to buckle down and focus on simple mechanics that allow them to stick on players and bring them down. As indicated by the numbers, the defense is being manhandled by opposing offenses when the opposite is supposed to be true.
I expect Gus Bradley and company to put an emphasis on wrapping up and bringing down the ball carrier over the bye week. Sunday’s game against the Cowboys showed that the Jaguars really need to focus on bringing down players when they have the ball. Dez Bryant is physical, but he isn’t so physical that your defense should be nearing 10 missed tackles in a game (or just to bring him down, he broke four on Sunday).
The Jaguars won’t win any more games this season if they keep near their 9.1 missed tackles per game. It’s time to address the issue and turn what should be a basic part of the game into a positive.