Jaguars Defense
One of the lowest-graded units in the NFL last season, the Jaguars defense had a strong first outing under new DC Anthony Campanile: Jacksonville forced three turnovers and allowed 255 yards of total offense.
The defensive line only added one sack on the day but had 15 total pressures on Panthers QB Bryce Young. DE Josh Hines-Allen provided seven of those pressures, and his 89.6 pass-rush grade ranked fourth among edge rushers in Week 1 (for reference, Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson posted a 90.2 pass-rush grade). The Jaguars pressured Young on 40% of his dropbacks in the game and held Carolina scoreless in its one red zone trip.
LB Foyesade Oluokun compiled his fourth-straight season opener with at least 10 tackles, the longest active streak in the NFL and third longest since 2000. Oluokun forced two of the defense’s three turnovers, intercepting a pass and forcing a fumble. He posted a 92.5 PFF defensive grade, the third highest among all defenders in Week 1.
On the back end, CB Jourdan Lewis had an interception and recovered the fumble forced by Oluokun in his Jacksonville debut after spending the first part of his career with the Dallas Cowboys. While Lewis operated out of the slot, Tyson Campbell, Jarrian Jones and Hunter manned the outside. Campbell allowed two receptions on four targets for 16 yards in Week 1, while Hunter didn’t see a target in his six defensive snaps. Jacksonville’s secondary allowed a 49.0 passer rating in Week 1, the lowest the franchise has allowed in a season opener since 2007.
Jacksonville’s special teams unit also had a strong performance, as K Cam Little drilled all four of his field goal attempts and both extra points, while P Logan Cooke had one of his two punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Little, a second-year player from Arkansas, has now made 31-33 field goals in his career and is a perfect 17-17 inside the 40-yard line.