The Jacksonville Jaguars had a hard-fought victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4, with another strong performance from the Jaguars defense. That includes two interceptions, plus a third from Travis Hunter that came back due to a penalty.
Takeaways have become a huge part of the Jaguars defense; they lead the NFL with the longest active streak of interceptions per game, having scored at least one in nine consecutive games. Foyesade Oluokun had Jacksonville's third red zone takeaway of the year, also most in the NFL, and the 31 takeaways last season were a franchise record, and second in the NFL.
In a post-game presser, head coach Liam Coen said defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile has worked to make this a big part of Jacksonville's
defensive identity.
HC Liam Coen and select players speak to the media. #DUUUVAL https://t.co/oi6Sq3rmUJ
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 4, 2026
"In a lot of ways, it's an identity piece. It's a pillar of our defense," he said. "It's something that they practice over and over and over again on a daily basis. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday is about ball disruption, it's every single day. So the amount of detail in which Campy coaches it with and the rest of the defensive coaches, the players take it personally. They take it seriously and they know it's an edge for us. They know it's something that obviously can help us win football games. So I'd like to believe it's a part of our DNA at this point."
Jacksonville ended 2025 with the highest-rated run defense in the league, and a top 10 defense overall. Coen and Campanile have clearly succeeded in strengthening the defense even more, and the takeaways have turned into a real asset for the team.
Whether it is an interception in the red zone, a forced fumble, or a drive-ending takeaway, the Jaguars defense has continued to find ways to create extra possessions for the offense. With eight takeaways through four games and three coming in the red zone, the results are beginning to match the identity Coen says the Jaguars work to build every day.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Liam Coen says takeaways are becoming part of Jaguars’ defensive ‘DNA’
