There is one under-the-radar area that the Jacksonville Jaguars will need to improve on coming out of their bye week.
ESPN's Michael DiRocco recently highlighted three things that the Jaguars need to fix, one of which is the kickoff coverage unit.
As DiRocco notes, the Jaguars are giving up 28.9 yards per kickoff return, which ranks 29th in the NFL.
"The problem earlier in the season was the coverage team struggling to get off blocks, though that has slightly improved after the Jaguars did extra work during several practices," DiRocco wrote. "It's the only thing on special teams the Jaguars aren't doing well."
Year in and year out under Heath Farwell, the Jaguars' special teams unit is rock solid and is one of the better overall units in the NFL. For the most part, that continues to remain true, and is a reason for optimism that we will see Jacksonville improve in this phase as the season goes on.
Last year, the Jaguars surrendered 27.0 yards per kickoff return, according to PFF.
This aspect of the game can be overlooked, but explosive returns can lead to points for the opposing offense. Not to mention that, between the dynamic kickoff and most NFL kickers being able to connect regularly from deep, giving up nearly 30 yards per kickoff return puts the opposing offense just one or two first downs away from being in field goal range.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: One under-the-radar area where Jaguars must improve during bye week