The Jaguars’ answer to New England’s run game might come down to one player the box score won’t fully explain: DaVon Hamilton.
Jacksonville is counting on Hamilton again in Week 3, and his status looms large after he was listed questionable in practice for the second straight day. He’s in that group with running back LeQuint Allen (hip), center Robert Hainsey (elbow/groin), wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (thumb), and offensive tackle Cole Van Lanen (knee). Hamilton picked up a back injury late in last week’s loss to the Denver Broncos, though he did return to the game shortly after.
That return mattered. Hamilton has become the engine of a Jaguars run defense that has leaned on him to set the tone, and the numbers back up the eye test.
He ranks second on the team in run stuffs and run tackles, according to NextGenStats, trailing only linebacker Ventrell Miller. Against Denver, he made several important stops, and Jacksonville’s defense just looks different when he’s out there.
“He actually was one of the guys I felt like played really, really well the other day,” Campanile said Thursday. “Like everybody, there's things you want to improve.
I thought he was very consistent. He's been really good for us.
He's a team leader for us, in my opinion and certainly a guy on our side of the ball that has done a really good job and been practicing his ass off and he's just getting better and better.”
That’s not just coach speak. Campanile’s defense has made stopping the run its first priority, and Hamilton is the central piece of that plan.
Jacksonville has now gone 19 straight games without allowing a rusher to reach 75 yards, the fifth-longest streak of its kind over the last 50 seasons. Hamilton’s fingerprints are all over that stretch.
Sunday brings a new challenge. The Patriots want to make games ugly, and they lean into that style with a heavy under-center rushing attack.
NextGenStats says New England has run from under-center formations on 82.4% of its plays, the fourth-highest rate in the league this season. Jacksonville, for its part, has given up 104 rushing yards on designed under-center runs, the ninth-fewest in the NFL.
The matchup figures to be played in tight spaces and in the trenches, where Hamilton’s job becomes even more important. New England has a physical backfield combination in Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, and the Jaguars know exactly what kind of pressure that puts on a defense.
“They're both great players, a little bit different, but that's a challenge, getting in there. And I think Stevenson is a physical runner.
I think they're both physical runners," Campanile said Thursday. "But yeah, that's definitely a challenge because you got some guys that can break it if you don't get your eyes right, you're not playing with gap integrity, there's not a team tackling mentality.
Those things are going to show up and they're going to get you. And they've gotten people that way.
Since Josh has been back there, they've done a good job getting those guys touches, because they're guys that can get the ball down the field for them.”
The Jaguars know the Patriots want to turn Sunday into a trench fight. Whether Jacksonville can drag New England into a game on its terms may depend on Hamilton holding up in the middle.
In Other News...
Jaguars Uniform Schedule Leaves Door Open For A Fan-Favorite Return
The Jaguars have already mapped out part of their look for the season, and it includes a couple of familiar favorites. Jacksonville will wear its Prowler Throwback uniforms in Week 3 against the New England Patriots and again in Week 14 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the teams Nike Rivalries jerseys are set for Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts. Those Rivalries uniforms do not count toward the NFLs limit of four alternate uniform games, which gives the Jaguars a little extra flexibility as the schedule unfolds.
What makes the announcement interesting for fans is what still isnt locked in. Jacksonville has two alternate-uniform chances left on the calendar, leaving open the possibility of another return for a look that has long had plenty of support around the fan base. The all-black uniforms remain a candidate, and with two slots still available, the Jaguars have left themselves room to decide how bold they want to get later in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Ex-Jaguars RB Already Giving Saints Fans A Reason To Worry
Travis Etienne Jr. is only two games into his New Orleans tenure, but the early returns have already given Saints fans something to watch closely. The former Jaguars running back arrived on a big-money deal, and the expectation was obvious: he would be a featured piece in the offense and a driver of explosive plays from the backfield.
Instead, the usage has been more split than seamless. Etienne has been on the field for 57% of the snaps and has shared touches with other backs, while his yards per touch is lagging behind last seasons pace. It is still far too early to label the contract a success or a miss, but the first glimpse of this new partnership has not exactly calmed the questions around how New Orleans plans to use him. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Offense Faces An Early Trevor Lawrence Test In New England
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense head into Foxborough facing an early-season measuring stick against a Patriots defense that should ask different questions than the ones Jacksonville has seen so far. New England brings Drake Maye into the spotlight on the other side, but the more immediate issue for the Jaguars is whether Lawrence can handle the pressure, get the ball out on time and keep the offense on schedule in a game that figures to be shaped by field position and patience.
For Jacksonville, this is the kind of matchup that can reveal whether the system is settling in or still searching for answers. The Patriots are the sort of opponent that can force a quarterback to win with discipline rather than splash plays, and the Jaguars will need their passing game to stay ahead of the sticks while the staff weighs how aggressive to be. It is only Week 3, but games like this can tell a team plenty about where its offense really stands. [Read more 🡒]