JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton, team reporter Kainani Stevens and correspondent John Shipley offer quick thoughts on the Jaguars as they prepare to play the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, United Kingdom on Sunday.
Run to win. The Jaguars are 3-1 leading the AFC South for many reasons, one of which is a steadily improving – and increasingly consistent – run offense. Remember? In the offseason? When fans bemoaned offseason personnel losses? Bemoan no more. Second-year running back Bhayshul Tuten and veteran Chris Rodriguez Jr. in four games have emerged behind an increasingly physical and offensive line, with the result being the Jaguars rank 11th in the NFL in rushing through four games. Tuten continues to run consistently and be oh-so-close to breaking a long highlight run, and Rodriguez has given the Jaguars the power, physical runner they wanted when they signed him as a restricted free agent in March. The Jaguars focused this offseason on this area, believing they could be a more consistent running team and therefore a more balanced offense. Mission accomplished.Better and better. The Jaguars since the beginning of last season have been among the NFL’s most-overlooked defenses. It may be time to start calling them one of the league’s best defenses – with no qualifiers. The Jaguars rank No. 2 in the NFL in points allowed, run defense and takeaways. And if ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker remain the unit cornerstones, nose tackle DaVon Hamilton and safety Antonio Johnson are rivaling those two as front-line players and inside linebacker Foyesade Oluokun continues to be as productive and consistent. That’s real front-line talent – and in the last two games, cornerback Travis Hunter has begun playing as expected when the Jaguars selected him No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Bottom line: This defense is more than high rankings. It’s a legitimate front-line defense that shouldn’t be overlooked anymore. It’s a huge reason the Jaguars continue ascending as one of the NFL’s best teams.