Jaguars Defense Still Focal Point in Sunday Victory

The Jacksonville Jaguars defense once again put the team in position to win 20-15 on Sunday over the New York Giants.

Just when it looked as though momentum would swing in the direction of the New York Giants the Jacksonville Jaguars defense once again came up with a huge play that helped lead the team to 20-15 victory.

This time, it was Myles Jack coming up with an interception on a tipped pass by Abry Jones. Jack then took the ball out of the air and marched 32 yards for the score and put Jacksonville up 20-9 in the fourth quarter.

Jack, the third-year linebacker out of UCLA, is now playing in the middle and appears to have found a new way of proving this could be his best season yet. Jack and other members of the defense spoke about how they confident when the game is on the line, they will come up with a big play.

"“I really just kind of reaped the benefits of Telvin’s [Smith] play,” said Jack via Jaguars.com, who has scored two career touchdowns in two games at MetLife Stadium has also returned a fumble for a touchdown against the New York Jets last season."

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If Jack is going to have the breakout season many predict of him, this might have been the start of something big. So much has been made of Jack’s fumble recovery in the AFC Title game last season where an inadvertent whistle stopped play. Jack could have scored on the play, which would have changed the complexity of the contest and potentially given Jacksonville a win.

Now, with a win in the books to start 2018 and the Patriots on the schedule for next week, the first home game of the season, the defense made the right plays at the right time. They had talked about it in the huddle prior to the interception.

"“It’s crazy because when we were huddled up, that’s what we were talking about,” linebacker Telvin Smith said. “We said, ‘We’re fixing to get it and score. It’s fixing to happen right now. Everybody meet at the end zone and let’s do it.’’’"

It may not have been the best performance by the Jaguars in a victory, but a win is a win. Jacksonville was the only team in the AFC South to win on Sunday. With a short season like the NFL, every game matters.

Jack led the team with 10 total tackles. Smith had seven. Two of the best young linebackers in the game today play in Jacksonville. It’s a mark of this defense to not only be uber-talented but fast in pursuit and getting to the football.

Aside from the 68-yard touchdown run by Giants rookie Saquon Barkley, the Jaguars held New York to 46 yards rushing on 22 attempts. Jacksonville finished 21st in the NFL in run defense last season.

The Jaguars also stopped the Giants from driving down the field on fourth-and-6 from their 36-yard line to preserve the game. The defense stepped up in the most crucial situation.

"“That’s the way we like to do: we feel like we’re so talented on defense that we have defensive backs who can score, linebackers who can score and even defensive linemen who can create strip-sack fumbles and score,” Jack said."