Jacksonville Jaguars LB Myles Jack deserves more recognition

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense has held the team back.

As a whole, the Jacksonville Jaguars defense has struggled in 2020. Defensive coordinator Todd Wash’s unit has given up at least 30 points in six of eight games this season. That’s not the kind of performance that is going to help any team win games. However, linebacker Myles Jack has played at a high level and coaches and teammates alike are aware of it.

The Jaguars’ scoring defense ranks 31st in the league and there’s no way around that. The group has been a liability more often than not and have let opposing offenses feast on them. Moreover, they have overshadowed the work of their offensive counterpart.

In four of the team’s seven losses, the offense has scored at least 25 points and put the team in a position to succeed only to be let down by the offense. It’s true that the offense scored 16 points or fewer in a couple of games, but looking at how the unit has performed in 2020, it seems the exception rather than the norm.

Just last week, rookie Jake Luton took over the Jaguars’ offense and had no trouble putting 25 points on the scoreboard. He gave the team a legitimate chance to earn their second victory of the years, but the defense ended up allowing more points than the ones the offense scored.

Myles Jack has been a bright spot in the Jacksonville Jaguar defense.

We could count the number of playmakers in the Jaguars defense on the fingers of one hand and Myles Jack should be one of them. The linebacker has been a difference-maker since the team used a second-round selection on him in 2016. This year, he has dealt with injuries and missed two games because of it.

Nevertheless, Jack has had a big impact when he’s on the field. Against the Houston Texans in Week 9, he registered 11 tackles and stripped the ball out of running back David Johnson’s hands, forcing him to fumble the ball in the process. In six games this season, he has 52 tackles, one forced fumble, one sack, and three pass deflections.

Todd Wash said in a recent sitdown that Jack is playing at a high level and does a really good job of preparing. Also, he recognizes the work he’s put in this year. The defensive coordinator isn’t the only one to praise the UCLA standout though.

Fellow Jaguars linebacker Joe Schobert said that it’s been a privilege to play next to Jack and hopes he gets the recognition he deserves. Although it will be a tall order for Jack to get more widespread attention while this Jacksonville team keeps losing games, his efforts have clearly not gone unnoticed.