LB Devin Lloyd says Jaguars must rally vs. Texans RB Dameon Pierce

Trevor Lawrence had a less-than-stellar outing in Week 4 but he wasn’t the only reason the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4. The Jags’ defense couldn’t stop Jalen Hurts and Philly’s dominant running game. Linebacker Devin Lloyd met with the local media Monday and acknowledged the team’s struggles against the run last week.

“This is the most rushing yards we gave up all year”, Lloyd said. “Some of it was due to the quarterback. Most of it was due to the running backs. Overall, I would say we could have executed a little bit better in the front seven”.

Lloyd is convinced that he, his teammates, and the coaching staff will be able to fix whatever went wrong in Philadelphia.

“As a whole, coaching staff, players will understand how to improve, basically from this game. There were certain things that we did this game that I feel like we made it harder than what it needed to be, so really just finding a way to clean it up”, Lloyd said.

Lloyd was far from great in Week 1 after missing a good portion of training camp. But he’s become a staple of the Jags’ defense ever since. He’s started all four games this season and has logged 38 total tackles, six passes defensed, and two interceptions. For his efforts, he was named the AFC Defensive Rookie of the Month in September.

The Jaguars will need to contain Texans RB Dameon Pierce in Week 5

Next on the Jaguars’ schedule are the Houston Texans. While their division foes haven’t managed to win a game this season, this isn’t a game Jacksonville can afford to take lightly. Think of it as a trap game. The Jags are a 7-point favorite but they could end up losing if they once again commit too many mistakes.

Lloyd says the team must play sound football when they take on rookie running back Dameon Pierce, who will present a tough matchup.

“He’s strong, jittery. I was just watching a little bit. He’s going to be a tough back. Our coach mentioned it in the meeting, we got to just rally, everybody’s got to get to the ball”, Lloyd said.

Pierce has been a bright spot in what’s otherwise been a bad Texans team in 2022. The former Florida Gator has racked up 60 carries for 313 yards with two touchdowns this season. He logged his first 100-yard game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4 and it’s fair to wonder why Houston hasn’t given him the ball more.

Before their loss to the Eagles, the Jaguars did a good job of stopping the run. They will have a chance to show against Houston that last week was an outlier.