The Jacksonville Jaguars closed out the preseason with a 19-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday night, and while preseason results need to be treated with the appropriate amount of caution, this was more than simply a scoreline. With neither team using its starters, the game was effectively a final audition for players fighting for roster spots, and Jacksonville’s depth came out on top in emphatic fashion. Here are three reasons the Jaguars dominated the Buccaneers at EverBank Stadium.
Defense: Bryan Thomas Jr. led a relentless pass rush
The Jaguars’ defense set the tone from the opening snap, and undrafted rookie Bryan Thomas Jr. was at the heart of it. Thomas finished with 2.5 sacks, four quarterback hits and four tackles, repeatedly finding his way into the Tampa Bay backfield as the Buccaneers struggled to protect their quarterbacks. Jacksonville finished with five sacks overall and held Tampa Bay to just 87 total yards, six first downs and a miserable 2-for-12 on third down.
Thomas’ performance was particularly significant because of what was at stake. An undrafted rookie does not get many better opportunities to force his way onto an NFL roster than the final preseason game, and Thomas took his chance. He showed the explosive pass-rushing ability that had made him intriguing during camp, but also held up against the run and consistently created problems for Tampa Bay’s quarterbacks.
Liam Coen certainly noticed. The Jaguars head coach said Thomas has a “gift of rushing the passer” that cannot be ignored, adding that the rookie’s play was making the roster decision increasingly difficult. With Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker ahead of him, Jacksonville does not need Thomas to carry its pass rush immediately. But Friday night provided a pretty compelling argument that the Jaguars have another young edge rusher worth keeping around.
Offense: Jacksonville’s reserves did enough to control the game
The Jaguars’ offense was hardly flawless. They failed to convert a third down in the first half and had some frustrating stretches, while Carter Bradley missed a couple of opportunities on deep passes. But compared with Tampa Bay, Jacksonville’s quarterbacks were considerably more effective, and the offense consistently did enough to keep the pressure on the Buccaneers.
Nick Mullens got the game started with an efficient 5-of-7 passing performance for 62 yards in the first quarter, including a 34-yard completion to tight end Hunter Long and a key fourth-down conversion. Bradley then took over and finished 8-of-15 for 77 yards and a touchdown, adding a rushing two-point conversion as Jacksonville gradually pulled away. The Jaguars finished with 249 total yards and held the ball for almost 35 minutes, compared with just 87 yards and 25:05 of possession for Tampa Bay.
That disparity is perhaps the most important takeaway from a preseason game like this. Neither team was relying on its starters, so the question was less about which roster has the better top end and more about which team had the better players further down the depth chart. Jacksonville’s reserves moved the ball, protected it and sustained drives. Tampa Bay’s offense repeatedly went three-and-out and struggled to generate anything resembling momentum.
Special Teams: Michael Wortham provided the knockout blow
If Thomas was the defensive star, Michael Wortham was the player who made sure everybody remembered his name.
The rookie wide receiver had already shown flashes on offense, catching three passes for 47 yards, but his biggest contribution came on special teams. Wortham returned five punts for 123 yards, an outstanding 24.6-yard average, and his 63-yard touchdown return late in the fourth quarter turned Jacksonville’s comfortable 11-0 lead into a 19-0 rout.
It was exactly the kind of performance a player on the roster bubble needs. Wortham showed he can contribute as a receiver, then demonstrated the explosiveness and open-field ability that could give him another route onto the roster. Coen had already seen enough during the preseason to believe there was something worth developing, and Friday night made the decision considerably harder.
More importantly, Wortham’s touchdown was representative of the entire game. Jacksonville’s young players kept making plays. Tampa Bay’s young players kept struggling to respond. By the time Wortham sprinted 63 yards down the sideline, the Jaguars had turned what could have been a scrappy preseason contest into a convincing statement from the bottom half of their roster.
For Jacksonville, that is probably the most encouraging part of the night. The starters did not need to rescue them. The players fighting for their NFL futures did the job themselves.
