Despite Struggling Start, Jacksonville Jaguars Defense Has Delivered

Considering the past few seasons, the fact that the Jacksonville Jaguars have a win in September and have a very winnable game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers upcoming may have some fans somewhat content with the team's progress so far.

Sure, 1-3 may be a better record than the Jaguars have had at this point than the past couple of years, but two of the Jaguars' three losses were winnable games in which the Jaguars could have easily won if they had scored more than nine and 13 points, respectively.

It has been an unfair series of results for the defense, which has played very well in three of the first four games. The loss to the New England Patriots saw the defense get 51 points dropped on them, but that was against a very strong offense, and it had to deal with extremely conservative play-calling.

In the three games outside of the blowout loss to the New England Patriots, the Jaguars defense has performed up to standard and possibly even above the standard. As seen below, the Jaguars can't really fault their defense in Weeks 1, 2 and 4.

	Yards Allowed	Offensive Points Allowed	Turnovers Forced	Sacks
Week 1	263	13	1	2
Week 2	386	20	0	2
Week 4	326	16	2	3

It's a similar problem the Jaguars faced last year, where the defense would make explosive plays or force quick stops, but the offense couldn't deliver a drive into the end zone. The first-half scoring has been OK, but the second half has seen a total of 17 points scored. 

For more on the struggling offense, read my recent piece on the offense's second-half sputtering. 

The fact that the Jaguars have nearly the same problem as last year but with a more talented and experienced offense is concerning. The defense is delivering, but the offense can't meet its end of the bargain.

Plus, the defense has been without some major players throughout the four weeks. Star defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks still hasn't seen the field this season, defensive end Andre Branch just returned for Week 4, and the secondary has been hindered by various small injuries.

Speaking of Marks, he had some words on Twitter about the recent complaints from fans. 

And while the defense has been performing at a high level considering the situation, it certainly won't last under this pressure for the whole season. Injuries will continue to be a factor, plus the fatigue and wear that sticks as the season progresses is an inevitable.

The only major complaint that can be filed against the defense is the lack of a pass rush. As seen in the table below, there have only been a few players who have registered sacks, and their numbers haven't been world-beating.

Player	Sack Total
Ryan Davis	2.5
Aaron Colvin	1.0
Dan Skuta	1.0
Telvin Smith	0.5
Sergio Brown	0.5
Chris Clemons	1.0
Roy Miller	1.0
Chris Smith	0.5

The players and coaching staff are now under the most pressure of their tenure in Jacksonville, and that means delivering on the moves made in the offseason. Neither side of the ball is free of criticism.

But, the defense still can't be faulted for two of the three losses so far. Holding the Carolina Panthers offense to 13 offensive points and the Indianapolis Colts to 13 points in four quarters should warrant a win for most teams.

Sadly, the Jaguars haven't clicked on offense yet, and they may not. In the meantime, the defense deserves praise for multiple performances that have kept the Jaguars competitive in most of their games.

What do you think? Comment below, and answer the poll!

All stats provided by ESPN.com unless otherwise stated.

Evan Reier is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the Jacksonville Jaguars. Follow Evan on Twitter @evanreier.