5 Adjustments the Jacksonville Jaguars Must Make in Week 4

The Jacksonville Jaguars are off to a horrendous start this season. They sit at 0-3 and have been outscored 119-44. This is far from the start many fans imagined given the optimism surrounding this team in the offseason.

Instead, things are looking like business as usual in Jacksonville. 

There have been a number of issues that have plagued the Jaguars this season. They haven't been able to move the ball on offense nor can they stop anyone from moving the ball against them. They rank dead last in the league in yards given up and points given up. On offense they are slightly better, ranking only second-worst in total yards. 

Many things have to change if this team is going to find some success this year. They can start this process this week against the 2-1 San Diego Chargers. It will be a very tough game for the Jaguars, but if they can show some improvement, it will be a win regardless of the final score. 

Figure out a Way to Cover Tight Ends

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The biggest problem that has plagued the Jaguars defense this year has been poor coverage. They have given up a league-worst 306 passing yards per game as well as 18 plays of 20 or more yards. Their coverage against tight ends has especially been bad.

So far this year they have given up 22 receptions for 283 yards and four touchdowns to opposing tight ends. These numbers only look to increase as face San Diego's Antonio Gates and Ladarius Green in Week 4. Gates has seemingly found his old groove, posting three touchdown receptions against the Seattle Seahawks, and Green is an ultra-athletic player in the mold of Denver's Julius Thomas. 

All three starting linebackers have a negative pass coverage rating from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Paul Posluszny has the worst grade of the bunch, sporting a minus-2.6 mark. He has given up 10 receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown through three games. 

The Jaguars already started work on this problem by benching Otto linebacker LaRoy Reynolds in favor of J.T. Thomas and free safety Winston Guy in favor of Josh Evans, according to Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union.

This may be just the start as rookie Telvin Smith has played well in coverage from the middle linebacker spot. When taking snaps from the middle, he has a plus-0.7 coverage grade and has allowed only four receptions for 13 yards. His speed is his best asset and would allow him to keep pace with these tight ends. 

The key here may be using a lot more substitutions. Posluszny was brought aboard in 2011 to be a three-down linebacker but he has proven to be a liability in coverage. Smith should see more snaps from the middle position, especially on third down. He doesn't have the mental aspects of the game down like Posluszny does but his physical abilities may turn the tide. 

Shut Down the Chargers Run Game

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Another area the Jaguars defense has struggled has been against the run. They are last in the league in rushing yards allowed, giving up an average of 160 rushing yards per game. They are also tied for third-worst in the league in surrendering runs of 20 yards or more. 

Fortunately for the Jaguars, they should get a reprieve this weekend, as the Chargers' top two running backs, Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead, are out with injuries, leaving Donald Brown as the primary back. The Jaguars are familiar with Brown from his time with the Indianapolis Colts, so that should give them a slight advantage since they know his tendencies. 

This area needs to be shored up as Philip Rivers is a killer on play-action passes. When Rivers uses play action—which isn't as often as you'd think, given his success—he sports a 83.3 percent completion rating and a 111.5 quarterback rating, according to Pro Football Focus. If the Jags can't stop the run, Rivers is likely to pick apart their suspect coverage. 

A lot of the pressure of this falls on defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks and middle linebacker Paul Posluszny. Both players have been playing below the level they did last year, and it is hurting this defense. Pro Football Focus has Marks ranked 72nd out of 73 eligible defensive tackles against the run with a minus-5.7 grade. This was unexpected after the breakout year he had last season.

Both players must step up and be the leaders of this defense.

Get Consistent Pressure on Philip Rivers

Michael Perez/Associated Press

The lone bright spot for the Jaguars defense is their pass rush. After years of placing at or near the bottom of the league, the Jaguars enter Week 4 tied for first in the league with 10 sacks. This is a huge improvement over a group that last year notched only 31 total sacks. 

This unit will have to continue this string of success in order to really give the team a chance to win. The Chargers offensive line has given up the second-most quarterback pressures of any unit in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. That being said, Rivers has been sacked only three times on the season. 

Still, this should allow the Jaguars to provide constant pressure on Rivers and not let him get settled in the pocket. Under pressure Rivers' fundamentals break down a bit. His completion percentage drops from 68.4 to 45.4. If the Jacksonville front seven can get after him with enough pressure, it will help alleviate the mismatch of its linebackers having to cover San Diego's dynamic tight ends. Pressure will also force Rivers to check the ball down rather than test the Jags' suspect secondary. 

The Jaguars have the potential to harass Rivers and make him force some throws, giving the Jaguars a chance at a turnover or two. However, they must be consistent in their pressure, otherwise Rivers will get into a groove.

And once he does, he is as deadly a quarterback as there is in the league.  

Get the Running Game Going

Michael Perez/Associated Press

The Jaguars running game started off the season very slowly. In the first two games of the season, the Jaguars running backs had 31 carries for 64 yards (2.1 yards per carry). There was a stark improvement in last week's game against the Colts as they had 18 carries for 75 yards (4.2 YPC).

Part of this can be contributed to Denard Robinson. Robinson had been hyped up all offseason regarding how much he has grown as a runner and everyone was excited to see him be the lightning to Toby Gerhart' thunder.

However, prior to the Colts game, he had only three carries for eight yards. He was given more opportunities last week and gained 33 yards on eight carries. This helped fuel a more balanced ground game and allowed the Jaguars to attack the perimeter of the defense more. 

This growth in the running game needs to continue against the Chargers, whose run defense ranks 10th in the league, allowing 101.3 yards per game. Gerhart and Robinson both must find running room in order to take the pressure off Blake Bortles. This puts a lot of pressure on the offensive line.

But the line must come out strong against the Chargers front seven. Jaguar linemen need to open up running lanes and get on blocks out in space and at the next level. It is something they have struggled with so far this season, but the time is now. This leads me into my last point...

Keep Blake Bortles Protected

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

For as much as the Jaguars offensive line has struggled in run blocking, it has been even worse in pass protection, having given up 17 sacks on the season, including a franchise-record 10 sacks to the Washington Redskins.

This must change this week with Bortles as the starter. 

The Chargers boast a formidable pass rush, spearheaded by Dwight Freeney, Corey Liuget and Melvin Ingram. These three are primed to pose problems for this inexperienced offensive line.

Starting right tackle Austin Pasztor is not expected to be back yet, leaving Sam Young in as the starter. Young did a good job against the Colts in his first start of the season, keeping both Henne and Bortles upright and carried a plus-0.9 grade in pass protection per Pro Football Focus.

Last year's first-round pick Luke Joeckel, however, has been very inconsistent and hasn't been living up to his No. 2 overall draft-pick billing yet. He must turn his game around and be the franchise left tackle he was drafted to be. 

The pressure is really on for the offensive line to improve its pass protection. Despite watching their team get blown out at home by the Colts 44-17, Jaguar fans found some cause for hope when Bortles was brought in in the second half. That feeling intensified when the rookie QB was named the starter for this game against the Chargers.

An injury to Bortles, especially if due to poor protection, would sink all morale in the locker room and the fanbase.