Michael DiRocco, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Stat of the Week: Secondary improvement

Every Thursday I’ll present an interesting (to me, anyway) stat, break it down, and try to provide some context heading into the game the following weekend.

No more long ball

One reason for the Jaguars’ defensive improvements has been significantly better coverage in the secondary. There have been much fewer coverage busts or instances where players get caught looking into the offensive backfield, the two main reasons it seemed receivers were always running wide open during the season’s first month.

Through the first four games, the Jaguars had given up a league-worst 25 passing plays of 20 or more yards – an average of more than six per game. The total damage: 687 yards and six touchdowns, including three by San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers.

Since then, the secondary has been much tighter. It'sĀ given up only 10 in the last three games and none have gone for touchdowns. Even the 65-yarder the Jaguars gave up to Andrew Hawkins ended up not hurting because it went from the Cleveland 6-yard line to the Jacksonville 29, but defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks tackled Isaiah Crowell for a 4-yard loss on first down and linebacker Paul Posluszny sacked Brian Hoyer for an 8-yard loss on second down. Hoyer threw incomplete on third down and the Browns ended up punting.

It’s not a coincidence that the Jaguars’ lone victory (Cleveland) and closest losses (Pittsburgh and Tennessee) have come in the last three weeks.

The better work in the secondary bodes well for the Jaguars in Sunday’s game against Miami because the Dolphins don’t exactly have an explosive passing offense. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has completed only 14 passes of 20 or more yards this season and the longest touchdown pass he has thrown is 18 yards.

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