No defensive unit made a greater turnaround during the 2025 season than the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Using EPA (expected points added) per play as the defining metric, the Jaguars‘ defense made the biggest jump from 2024 to 2025 out of all 32 NFL teams.

According to PFF, the Jaguars’ defense went from allowing 0.107 points per play in 2024 to -0.116 points per play in 2025. That difference of -0.223 was the greatest in the NFL this past season.

The next closest team was the New England Patriots with an EPA per play difference of -0.140.

As noted by PFF, there were two major catalysts behind this improvement. One was the Jaguars’ ability to generate takeaways under new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. Only the Bears forced more takeaways in 2025 than the Jaguars.

In addition to that, the Jaguars were also very good at eliminating explosive passing plays.

“The improvements on defense were radical,” wrote PFF’s Thomas Valentine. “In 2024, the Jaguars were 31st in EPA per play allowed. They were a disastrous unit on all fronts.

“Coen brought Anthony Campanile along for the ride as his defensive coordinator, and the former Green Bay Packers’ linebacker coach and run game coordinator was influential in the Jaguars’ turnaround as the defense finished the season third in EPA per play allowed.”

In part, what made Campanile’s defense so difficult to go up against was the malleability of it. This unit adjusted quickly and often based on who the opponent was and threw a variety of different looks at opposing offenses.

This was also a very physical and sound tackling unit. Jacksonville’s ability to stop the run also puts offenses at a disadvantage, having to play from behind the sticks.

During the Jaguars’ eight game winnin streak to end the regular season, the defense allowed fewer than 15 points per game. This unit wasn’t just good; they were dominant.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jacksonville Jaguars defense most improved in 2025 by advanced metric