QB Taylor focus of Jags’ defense
JACKSONVILLE — In last week’s season finale against Tennessee, defensive ends Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue both provided plenty of passrush pressure to flush quarterback Marcus Mariota out of the pocket.
But often, instead of sacking him, Mariota ran freely to avoid them.
He finished as the Titans’ leading rusher with 60 yards on 10 carries in Tennessee’s 15-10 win.
Both Campbell and Ngakoue said facing Mariota was beneficial in their preparation for Sunday’s AFC playoff game against the Buffalo Bills at EverBank Field.
Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor is an even bigger threat to scramble out of the pocket to avoid pass-rush pressure than Mariota. And he is faster.
Taylor, who completed 62 percent of his passes this year, ended the regular season as the NFL’s third-leading rushing quarterback with 427 yards behind Carolina’s Cam Newton (754) and Seattle’s Russell Wilson (586).
Taylor is the Bills’ second-leading rusher behind running back LeSean McCoy, who gained 1,138 yards this season.
“The more you do it, the better you get at it,’’ said Campbell about facing a scrambling quarterback for the second consecutive week. “We definitely have to be aggressive as possible but be disciplined. Mariota definitely used his legs and did some good things last week.
“But Tyrod is more of a guy that gets up the gut and takes off than he is going outside. He can do both and is an incredible talent.’’
The Jaguars’ defense finished second in the NFL with 55 sacks — the second most in franchise history. They achieved 10-sack games against Houston in Week 1 and Indianapolis in Week 7. And Campbell and Ngakoue combined for 26.5 sacks in 16 games, including a franchise-record 14.5 for Campbell, who was selected to Pro Bowl.
Yet at times, the Jaguars have been vulnerable containing mobile quarterbacks because of their overpursuit off the edge.
“Basically you’re sitting waiting for the quarterback to run; you’re not trying to contain and he has a chance to throw the ball, so you still got to rush,’’ Ngakoue said.
With a possibility that McCoy could miss Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, coach Sean McDermott emphasized the benefits of Taylor’s scrambling ability on Wednesday.
“It’s obviously an added dimension to the quarterback position when he can do that,” McDermott said. “The biggest thing is that he stays with his progression and then if it’s there he can pull it down and run with it like Mariota.”
A point of emphasis this week by the Jaguars’ defensive front is making sure they handle their gap responsibilities so Taylor won’t have any running lanes if the pocket breaks down.
“If he gets free, he’s going to run,” nose tackle Abry Jones said. “He has been a great quarterback and not only by running but extending plays, and that’s where it can really hurt when you don’t do your job correctly and not keep him contained. He can make people stop because they think he’s going to run and he can throw over your head. We just have to cover all the bases and try to limit what he can do.”