Calais Campbell Unable To Enjoy His Return To Arizona After 27-24 Loss

When Calais Campbell scoped up a fumble and went 10 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, he thought his homecoming would end exactly the way he hoped.

But instead of enjoying their fifth consecutive victory, Campbell and the Jaguars suffered their first loss since Oct. 15 when Phil Dawson kicked a 57-yard field goal with one second remaining to give the Cardinals a 27-24 victory on Sunday.

For Campbell, it was his first return to Arizona to play his former team after signing a four-year, $60 million free agent contract with the Jaguars in March. He had played nine seasons with the Cardinals.

Jaguars’ Calais Campbell Wants a win, And Larry Fitzgerald’s Jersey In Return To Arizona

Calais Campbell has two things he wants to bring back from Arizona: An eighth victory and Larry Fitzgerald’s No. 11 jersey.

One is much more important to him than the other.

Campbell will return to the place where he spent the previous nine seasons when the Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3) play the Cardinals (4-6) on Sunday. While he’s looking forward to seeing close friends, former teammates and ex-coaches, the veteran defensive end hopes to make keep his homecoming as low-key — and successful — as possible.

Calais Campbell Having Huge Impact On Field And Off For Jaguars

As his players were heading toward the team bus following their season-opening victory against the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone congratulated defensive end Calais Campbell on his franchise-record four sacks.

“I said, ‘That is one hell of a day you had today,'” Marrone said. “He said, ‘I couldn’t have done it without the people in the back end with their coverage.’ I think that says more about it than anything else.”

Calais Campbell Likes What He Sees Already In Newly Acquired DT Marcell Dareus

“I like this trade a lot,” Campbell said. “I’ve studied [Dareus’] game since he came into the league [in 2011]. I always thought of him as a great player. He’s really good against both the run and the pass. One thing that I think is underappreciated is that he’s always around the ball in the run game. He has been clogging up holes and handling business for years.”

Calais Campbell Helping Jaguars Rack Up Sacks During Defensive Resurgence

Defensive end Calais Campbell might be the best free-agent acquisition in Jacksonville Jaguars history.

He’s certainly the NFL’s best in 2017.

The 31-year-old Campbell ended one of the franchise’s longest futility streaks Sunday when he notched his 10th sack of the season. He also helped the Jaguars (4-3) get on pace to break the NFL’s single-season record of 72 set by the 1984 Chicago Bears. Jacksonville has a league-leading 33 and is on track for 75.