Colts Opponents Scouting Report: Jaguars Defensive Line

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense has a new nickname, Sacksonville! Can the Colts offensive line hold up against the Jags’ dominant front four?

The Jaguars rank 9th in the NFL in total defense. A big part of that defensive ranking has been the defensive line that has racked up a league-leading 23 sacks on the season.

Veteran defensive lineman, and former Arizona Cardinal, Calais Campbell is leading the Jacksonville sack attack with 8 quarterback sacks already on the season. Campbell broke the Jaguars single-game record for sacks on opening day against the Texans with 4.

In his first season with the Jaguars, Campbell also has 18 tackles, 1 pass defended and 1 forced fumble.

Interior defensive lineman Malik Jackso is in his second season with Jacksonville. Jackson, a member of the Super Bowl winning defense with the Broncos in 2015, has 1.5 sacks thus far in 2017.

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Abry Jones is the run-stuffing defensive tackle in the middle of a talented Jaguars defensive line. He gained a larger role in the Jags defense last season, and has started all 6 games in 2017.

Dante Fowler Jr. and Yannick Ngakoue are the talented young edge rushers helping to fuel the Jacksonville pass rush. Each of them has 4 sacks on the season. Fowler, the former first-round pick, has forced 2 fumbles on the season and Ngakoue has forced 3.

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The battle in the trenches will likely decide the outcome of Sunday’s game at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts’ offensive line, who didn’t allow a sack Monday night to the Titans, will need to produce similar results against the Jaguars.

While the Jags do a great job of getting to the quarterback, they have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL as they are allowing over 145 yards per game on the ground.

Frank Gore and Marlon Mack will need to shoulder the load for the Indy offense. A steady dose of the run game could help slow the pass rush and open up the play-action pass game for Jacoby Brissett.