The Jacksonville Jaguars started the 2026 season strong, with a dominating win over the Cleveland Browns, before faltering against a tougher Denver Broncos team.
This included the defense, which remained strong against the run but otherwise let Bo Nix and the Broncos offense make explosive play after explosive play, with little to no opposition.
While the Jaguars started the game strong, they squandered a 13-3 lead and allowed Denver to score 17 unanswered points. Nix was able to throw for 288 yards, with five completions of 20-plus yards, and Jacksonville failed to sack him once after getting five sacks in Week 1. So while the defense wasn't a disaster, there were plenty of things to be concerned about.
In a Wednesday press conference, defensive
coordinator Anthony Campanile said everyone on the defense is frustrated by their performance, but is turning that frustration into action.
Grant Udinski & Anthony Campanile speak to the media. #DUUUVAL https://t.co/kGmUnMRabm
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 24, 2026
"I think everybody's responding," Campanile said. "I've responded a certain way. The unit has responded a certain way. Nobody's happy about it. I think everybody's got a level of pissed off in here, which is a good thing. It's just me being honest. You got to practice that way. There's only one way to fix anything. It's get back to work. It's not get sad, it's get back to work. You can have a little bit of anger about the result, but the reality is you got to move on and you got to focus on what can get you better and get you the result that you're looking for. And that's practice and the way that you practice. Doing things intentionally, doing things with detail, and just being a maniac about it every day. That's the only way I know. That's the only way these guys know and we have to respond that way. We have to."
The Jaguars defense objectively did well in some areas; the run defense continues to be among the best in the league, and was impressive in stopping the Broncos in the red zone. The biggest issues came with pass rush and giving up explosive plays. Campanile eventually had to bring extra pressure because the four-man rush wasn’t doing enough, but that just exposed the secondary to one-on-one matchups, which also struggled.
The defense's frustration is understandable. They made enough plays early on to put the Jaguars in a position to win, but couldn't finish the job. For Campanile, correcting those newfound issues isn't about dwelling on the loss, but turning that frustration into a purposeful week of preparation and using that anger as fuel for Week 3.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Campanile details how Jaguars defense must respond in Week 3
