Colts HC Shane Steichen believes the Jaguars defense starts with their pass rush

The Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars will kick off their season in Lucas Oil Stadium this Sunday.  This will be the first NFL regular season game coached by Colts new head coach, Shane Steichen, and he gets to do so against an AFC South foe.  When the offensive-minded head coach was asked about the defense […]

Destin Adams NFL News Writer
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Aug 26, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Josh Allen (41) and linebacker Travon Walker (44) celebrate after an interception against the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium.

The Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars will kick off their season in Lucas Oil Stadium this Sunday. 

This will be the first NFL regular season game coached by Colts new head coach, Shane Steichen, and he gets to do so against an AFC South foe. 

When the offensive-minded head coach was asked about the defense he will be calling a game against on Sunday, he shared multiple thoughts, but in his mind, it all starts with Jacksonville's pass rush. 

Jaguars Pass Rush:

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Travon Walker (44) and linebacker Josh Allen (41) combine to sack Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) during the second quarter of an NFL first round playoff football matchup Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars edged the Los Angeles Chargers on a field goal 31-30.
Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

When speaking about the Jaguars pass rush, Steichen made a point to bring up two players in particular, 2022 number 1 overall pick Travon Walker, and Josh Allen. 

"Just looking at their defense, I think it starts on the outside with Allen and Walker, really good players."

"They are stout up front it's going to be a heck of a challenge for Week 1 they've been playing together it's going to be year two in the system for them so we have to be ready to go" 

Josh Allen led the Jaguars in sacks last year with 7.0 and QB hits with 22. The team's pass rush as a whole wasn't able to bring the QB down at an elite rate, as they were only able to combine for 35 sacks, the 6th lowest amount in the NFL last season. 

As Steichen mentioned, though, another year together in the system for the duo of Allen and Walker could spell for a jump in production. Both were drafted in the first round by the Jaguars with the expectation to lead their pass rush department for the foreseeable future. 

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