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JACKSONVILLE Jamaal Williams Jersey , Fla. (AP) When All-Pro defensive end Calais Campbell re-watched his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he noticed a recurring issue: The vaunted defense had chances to come up big late in games and failed.

It happened in four of Jacksonville’s final five losses, including – and most memorably – in the AFC championship game at New England.

Campbell felt as if the unit also could and should have done more against the Los Angeles Rams, Arizona and Tennessee.

”When I study the tape and those situations, I realize that as good as we are we have so much room for growth,” Campbell said.

With Campbell leading the way, ”finishing” has become the defense’s motto for 2018. The Jags expect to be better in those fourth-quarter situations, knowing one stop could be the difference in a league that has a penchant for tight games.

”We have to have that mentality of crunch time,” Pro Bowl linebacker Telvin Smith said. ”We know we are not front-runners; we can bang with you. We just have to put our foot on your throat and keep it there from the beginning to the end.”

Jacksonville’s defense was one of the best in the league in 2017. The group ranked second in points (16.8) and yards allowed (286.1) and first in yards per play (4.61), passing yards (169.9) Zach Werenski Jersey , third down rate (33.6 percent) and red zone rate (39.3 percent).

The Jaguars also had 55 sacks and set a franchise record with 33 takeaways.

In some games, it wasn’t enough.

Jacksonville had New England reeling in late January, leading 20-10 early in the fourth quarter. But the defense allowed Tom Brady to convert a third-and-18 play that led to a touchdown and later provided little resistance while trying to prevent the go-ahead score.

In the regular-season finale at Tennessee, the Jaguars trailed 15-10 with about four minutes remaining but gave up two first downs that helped the Titans to run out the clock and essentially seal the victory.

The defense also faltered twice down the stretch at Arizona in late November. The Jags led 17-16 in the fourth before getting torched for a long touchdown pass. They tied the game on the ensuing possession and kept it that way until Blaine Gabbert connected on two first-down passes in the final 16 seconds to set up a game-winning 57-yard field goal.

Those three losses came on the road. The Rams found similar success against the Jags in Jacksonville.

They were up 24-17 with about seven minutes to play and essentially put the game away by picking up three first downs that got them into field-goal range.

”It’s not a conditioning thing. It’s a mental thing,” Jaguars safety Tashaun Gipson said. ”That is something that is easily correctable. You just have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what it is. It is nothing wrong with what we are doing, us schematically. It is not that we are not in shape. It is just we have to have that mentality.

”You have to see the blood in the water. You have to go attack.”

The Jaguars expect to see gains from returning 10 defensive starters and having all of them in the same scheme for a second straight year. They also anticipate continued improvement from star cornerback Jalen Ramsey as well as linebacker Myles Jack and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

All that experience has Jacksonville making offseason tweaks to blitz schemes and third-down packages – and waiting for another late-game shot.

”You have to go out there when you have an opportunity, when it presents itself, whether it is a preseason game or during the regular season,” coach Doug Marrone said. ”Then, you have to step up and do it and that will prove that you are able to do those things.

”I think that until you do that in those situations http://www.seahawksauthorizedshops.com/authentic-byron-maxwell-jersey , there is always going to be a question mark. But having the thought of wanting to do that obviously helps because it keeps you aware of that situation.”

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Jed Lowrie loves the feeling of coming through with a clutch hit late to lift his team, and he just keeps showing a knack for it.

He is a big reason the A’s are rarely out of games even when down by a couple of runs.

The Oakland second baseman delivered his 12th game-winning RBI after filling in beautifully at third base during Matt Chapman’s absence, hitting a three-run double in the decisive sixth to help rally the Athletics past the San Diego Padres 6-2 on Tuesday night.

If that’s not enough to make Lowrie an All-Star for the first time in an 11-year career and at age 34, manager Bob Melvin might just throw his hands up in disbelief.

”It would be the icing on the cake. I feel like I’ve been close a couple times and haven’t been there,” Lowrie said. ”So that would be something I would always be able to say.”

Mark Canha added a solo homer in the sixth and Chad Pinder connected in the seventh.

The A’s finally got to San Diego starter Clayton Richard (7-8). Pinder walked to start the sixth as the first five hitters reached base. Khris Davis followed Lowrie’s double with a run-scoring single before Canha’s 11th home run, after a double play.

Emilio Pagan (2-0) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win in relief of A’s starter Chris Bassitt.

Chapman went 0 for 3 in his return from the disabled list after missing 16 games with a recurring right hand injury that began bothering him during the offseason. He had played in 149 straight games before the DL stint.

Wil Myers hit a run-scoring double in the fifth right after Eric Hosmer’s RBI groundout got the Padres on the board.

Bassitt, who has just one win in five starts since being called up last month, escaped jams in the first and third innings as the Padres stranded five baserunners. The A’s made a pair of forceouts at home in the third, including first baseman Matt Olson’s nifty throw after a backhanded stop.

Myers’ double chased Bassitt. He was tagged for two runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, struck out six and walked three.

Richard allowed five runs and six hits Malik Jefferson Color Rush Jersey , walked a season-high five batters over six innings and struck out two in his second straight defeat.

”Defense picked me up early in the game but that’s the story of it was just too many three-ball counts and then put too many guys on with the walk,” Richard said.

Oakland, which had its six-game winning streak snapped Sunday by Cleveland, won for the 13th time in 16 games despite grounding into five double plays.

”As much as any team I’ve ever had, at least at this point, there’s no panic when we’re down,” the skipper said.

Leadoff hitter Travis Jankowski had three hits for San Diego, which will conclude the short two-game series Wednesday having played 23 of its last 28 away from Petco Park.

BIG MAC HONORED

Padres bench coach Mark McGwire, a former A’s slugger who spent his first 11 1/2 big league seasons in the East Bay before being traded to the Cardinals in 1997, was honored before the game as part of Oakland’s 50th anniversary season festivities in a ceremony at home plate with team President Dave Kaval. Big Mac received his green No. 25 commemorative A’s jersey and the Bash Brother tipped his cap to the cheering crowd.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: RHP Jordan Lyles Authentic Filip Forsberg Jersey , scratched in the bottom of the first inning June 23 just before his scheduled start and on the DL with inflammation in his pitching elbow, played catch with the relievers and depending how he felt afterward the Padres would decide when he is ready to throw off a mound. … The Padres placed RHP Kirby Yates on the paternity list and recalled RHP Colten Brewer from Triple-A El Paso.

Athletics: RHP Trevor Cahill, who has an impingement in his throwing elbow, pitched in the Arizona League and is likely to make another rehab appearance Sunday or Monday before potentially joining the A’s in Houston early next week. … RHP Daniel Mengden (sprained right foot) threw a bullpen session and if all was OK by Wednesday the A’s planned to send him to Triple-A Nashville for a rehab assignment. … Oakland optioned INF Franklin Barreto to Nashville to clear roster room for Chapman’s return.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Luis Perdomo (1-2, 8.36 ERA), a taxi squad player, will be called up Wednesday to make his fifth start of 2018.

Athletics: LHP Sean Manaea (8-6, 3.38) is coming off a masterful June during which he went 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA in five starts.

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