The Jacksonville Jaguars defense is much improved from last season, where it was one of the worst units in the NFL. Through a late trade and free agent acquisitions, it's been turned into one of the better defense in the NFL. They rank Top 10 against both the pass and the run, often forcing teams to pass the football more often than not. Their pass rush is improved, but the sacks and overall pressure on the quarterback is up and down game by game.
On Sunday, the Jaguars once again held an opposing passer to right around 200 yards in the air. The Jaguars however, could have given up a lot more yardage and possibly points if Texans quarterback Matt Schaub didn't take a plethora of unnecessary shots down the field. It seemed as if Schaub was trying to force plays down the field that weren't there for much of the game. There were a couple with a better pass likely would have been complete, but Schaub passed up easy chunks of yards in the middle of the field.
More specifically, Schaub could have kept feeding tight ends Owen Daniels and Joel Dreessen and ate up the Jaguars defense. Daniels ended the day with 4 catches for 60 yards, but there were plenty of chances for him to pick up extra yards that Schaub passed over to force something deep. Dreessen has just two catches for 19 yards, including a touchdown that was nearly picked off by safety Dwight Lowery, but like Daniels was passed up on short routes for a shot down the field.
Tight ends have killed the Jaguars all season. Daryl Smith and Paul Posluszny have been adequate in pass coverage, but there is definitely room for improvement. If there's an area the defense can focus on in the bye week, it's stopping opposing team's tight ends.