Jackson benefits next to Dareus

JACKSONVILLE — Defensive tackle Malik Jackson has been getting off blocks quicker, filling gaps with penetration and applying consistent interior pass rush pressure for the past month.

He’s had at least one sack in three consecutive games. For the season Jackson has eight sacks, which includes 6 1⁄2 sacks over the last eight games.

In last week’s 45-7 victory against the Houston Texans, Jackson had a sack and forced a fumble. The previous week he had three tackles and a sack against the Seattle Seahawks.

He is obviously elated about earning his first Pro Bowl selection, but also forthcoming about his season having some low points, too.

Jackson said he got a reality check on Oct. 28 when the Jaguars pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire defensive tackle Marcell Dareus from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2018 sixth-round pick.

At the time, Jacksonville was tied atop the AFC South with the Tennessee Titans with a 4-3 record.

However, it was ranked second-to-last stopping the run, allowing 138.6 yards per game.

One of the Jaguars’ defensive problems was Jackson.

Jackson, who is in the second year of a six-year, $90 million free agent contract with the Jaguars, couldn’t get through blocks to make enough run stops, especially during Week 2 against Tennessee when it rushed for 179 yards with Yulee native Derrick Henry gaining 92 on 14 carries.

And although the Jaguars routed Pittsburgh 30-9 in Week 5, Jackson didn’t make a tackle despite being on the field for 56 or 70 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.

“It was a wake-up call – you think you know I’ve got a good contract and there’s no way they’re going to bring in another guy in here with a high contract that do what I do. Then they brought him in here and it was like, whew, you better get it together real quick.

“But I was playing like crap before Marcel came. It just put a fire under all of us. The front office showed me that if you’re not getting the job done, we will bring in somebody to replace you.’’

With the trade occurring during the Jaguars’ bye week, Jackson said it forced him to reflect and ask himself had he been doing enough.

“I was sitting there and going through my phases of happiness, sadness, confused,’’ Jackson said. “At the time I was working on mixed emotions – what am I doing wrong? Is he going to play my spot? I am still going to start?

Despite his uncertainty, Jackson pushed to get better and Dareus turned out to be good as advertised, especially at stopping the run.

But instead of taking Jackson’s spot, Marrone and defensive coordinator Todd Wash paired the two together. Jackson has continued to start at defensive tackle with Dareus playing mostly at nose tackle.

Instead of pouting, Jackson concentrated on stepping up his play.

And it was the same approach nose tackle Abry Jones took, too.

With Dareus in the fold, the Jaguars have gone from next to last in stopping to the run to 19th, allowing 115.2 per game.

“These guys are always challenged and competition and things of that nature,’’ Coach Doug Marrone said, praising Jackson’s improvement. “This team has shown that when they’re challenged they have been able to rise up to the occasion.”