By Jordan Long
The Jacksonville Jaguars looked like a lock to earn a playoff spot entering their week 13 matchup against Cincinnati. At the time they were 8-3 but lost that game 31-34. It was the beginning of poor performances and they finished 1-5 down the stretch as their record ended at 9-8 missing the playoffs altogether.
The Jaguars found their scapegoat for their disappointing end of the season, firing defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell. They cut ties with defensive line coach Brentson Buckner, linebackers’ coach Tony Gilbert, safeties’ coach Cody Grimm, senior defensive assistant Bob Sutton, cornerbacks’ coach Deshea Townsend, and quality control assistants Sean Cullina and Tee Mitchell.
Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense plagued them in the 5 losses down the stretch. They were unable to stop opponents from scoring and couldn’t stop the run which tired out the defense. According to orlandosentinel.com, in the final 5 losses the defense permitted 29.2 points and 146.8 rush yards per game. With that, the defense was the main reason they missed the playoffs.
It is not surprising Caldwell lost his job. Caldwell had been in that position since 2022. He is the one who runs the defense. Caldwell didn’t seem to make adjustments to help his defense be in a better position to stop the opponents’ offense.
The Jacksonville defense was 22nd in the league allowing 342.8 yards per game. Teams were able to pass the football on this defense gaining 239.8 yards per game ranking 26th in the NFL. Jacksonville was pretty stout stopping the run all year, giving up 103.1 yards per game, 9th in the NFL.
Head Coach Doug Pederson felt changes were needed on defense. The defense let Jacksonville down in the end. Pederson will use the offseason to find a defensive coordinator. Whoever he picks can build a defensive staff who will make adjustments during the games so they won’t miss the postseason again.
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