When Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan brought in new head coach Liam Coen, all eyes were rightfully focused on how the arrival would impact the team's offense. And rightfully so, considering what Coen did to the Tampa Buccaneers last year.
So far, it's worked: Quarterback Trevor Lawrence looks mostly improved—even if it hasn't quite led to the boost in production—and the running game has been a team strength.
On the other hand, I'm not sure how many people expected to see such an aggressive and physical Jaguars defense, especially right from the start. But, while we may not have seen it coming, the team certainly did.
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Arik Armstead says the Jaguars' defense is disrespected
Defensive tackle had an exchange with Kay Adams from the "Up and Adams" show. He believes the Jaguars came into this season being disrespected, in part because of their previous performances.
"We're fed up of a lot," he said. "I talked about, when I came to the Jags, how this is a take what you want league, and you have to take respect. Quite honestly, we are disrespected...' Alright, you feel disrespected?' The only way to change that narrative is to go do some special, historic stuff, which is what we're doing right now."
Special, historic stuff? Let's take a look: They lead the league in opposing QBR (65.5), interceptions (7), and total takeaways (9), they're top five in rushing yards allowed (248), and they're top ten in yards per game allowed (292) and points per game allowed (17).
Sure, we're not talking about the '85 Chicago Bears or the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, but those are still impressive numbers for a unit that didn't come close to that last year. They had nine total takeaways in 2024, which they've matched through just three games. Maybe the play isn't "historic," but the turnaround is still notable nonetheless. Armstead didn't stop there, though.
"We've got to continue day by day," he said. "[We can't] rest on what we've done for the first three games, but carry that with us, carry that chip on our shoulder."
SCREAMING DUUVALLLLLL THROUGH THE HALLS https://t.co/zIHqpzs3zV
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) September 23, 2025
The Jaguars' defense is predicted to have a strong outing vs. the 49ers' rushing attack
While Sports Illustrated's John Shipley thinks the Jaguars' defense will struggle this week against the San Francisco 49ers' passing attack (this despite the backfield being filled with ball hawks), he has confidence in their run defense.
"While the Jaguars could be suspect this week when it comes to the pass," he writes, "I think they contain 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey and have a strong showing against the 49ers' rushing game as a whole. I am going to predict 3.5 yards or fewer per rush and just 50 yards rushing for McCaffrey."
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Final thoughts
The Jaguars might not be putting up historic numbers defensively, but they're demonstrating a marked improvement over a lackluster showing last year. Armstead is "fed up" with them being disrespected, and the play on the field is the only way to earn that respect.
It's time for the return of the Teal Curtain.