The Jacksonville Jaguars starting units bounced back in a huge way on Sunday. And while the final score may not reflect just how dominant the day went, we have you covered. After providing the live takeaways and lingering questions from this week’s’ game, we take a closer review of the matchup after evaluating the televised gameplay.
As a note, this review is based on the non-all-22 film, while being published before the PFF grades are released (in an effort to remain truly uninfluenced and unbiased
on what we see). Additionally, this style of review knowingly places some limitations on evaluating secondary play without confirming the full coverage looks. With that said, let’s get into some takeaways from the Jaguars’ 17 to 17 tie with the New Orleans Saints.
*Any opinions noted are those of Travis and not of the entire BCC staff or leadership. Of course, anyone can disagree when evaluating film. Any noted EPA data was retrieved from rbsdm.com.
Offense:
1. QB Evaluation
Sunday was a second consecutive strong game from Trevor Lawrence and the starting Jaguars unit. After going 6/7 for 43 yards against Pittsburgh Lawrence would go 8/10 for 76 yards and a touchdown against the Saints. Trevor was sharp on his two drives, with no throws getting away from him. He got the ball out quickly and didn’t take any unnecessary hits. However, the first drive fumble marred what would have otherwise been a nearly perfect day. With Ezra Cleveland stepping on Lawrence’s foot, he attempts to continue handing the ball off to Tank Bigsby, unsuccessfully.
Backup Nick Mullens had another up-and-down performance, with a highlight reel throw to Hunter Long (to come later) but also an interception surrendered and a few incomplete throws that were just slightly off target with open receivers. However, going 14/17 for 112 yards is a quality backup QB performance, if not for the redzone interception. While the turnover was a great play by the defender, it’s a play that can turn a “great” day into just okay.
2. RB Rushing Evaluation
Running back Travis Etienne received his first carries on the offense’s second series, but quickly became the “hot hand” in this one, catching an eight-yard reception to then immediately bust off a 15-yard run on second down.
However, the takeaway from this play is obviously that, yes Travis Etienne is really, really hard to bring down in space – as he forces four to five missed tackles on this rush. But also, the biggest takeaway is the performance of the offensive line unit, opening a hole that I could jog through.
An incredible diving block by Patrick Mekari opens the lane, with Robert Hainsey sealing inside, and Brenton Strange and Fred Johnson combo blocking the Edge. As a note, Mekari had one heck of an overall game at right guard. Whether it was diving blocks, cut blocks, backside blocking on Bigsby’s screen, staying active on plays, etc – he did it all in this one. If you need teaching tape on run blocking, take a look at Mekari’s third down rep on Travis Etienne’s third-and-three rush where he drives the Saints’ DT down into the crowd, then pancakes him backwards as the guy is on his knees.
Additionally, I thought OL Jonah Monheim had another quality day, especially in the pass protection arena. OT Fred Johnson also had a solid rebound performance in the run game with a few blocks driving defenders into a pile.
While RB Tank Bigsby seemed to have a quieter day in the run game (two opening drive rushes for 6 yards), he was efficient in his two run snaps while making his mark in the passing game via this triple cutback catch and run before being put on the shelf.
Not to leave the rookie back out in the cold, Bhayshul Tuten had another solid performance on Sunday, as the back scored another touchdown. However, this one didn’t require the offensive line second push.
Tuten continues to be a force, shedding tacklers in mass in the run and pass game. At this rate, it may be hard to keep him off the field, as long as his ball security issues remain in college.
3. Receiving Game Evaluation
The Jaguars’ starting receiving core and tight end group had another effective day, despite Dyami Brown and Travis Hunter both being inactive Sunday. For the second consecutive week the Jacksonville offensive line kept Lawrence clean, giving up zero sacks and zero pressures on the opening drive.
Brenton Strange and Parker Washington highlighted this one with Strange keeping the offense on schedule early and often. Lawrence would hit Strange, his fourth read on the play, while climbing the pocket on this third down snap.
Not to be left out of the tight end discourse, TE Hunter Long came through with possibly the catch of the day with his “Moss” of the Saints’ defender from Nick Mullens.
WR Parker Washington showed up on time with two clutch catches on the initial touchdown drive, capping what has been a spotlight offseason for the third-year receiver. The former sixth-round pick was both busy in the second offensive drive and in both the kick and punt return arenas in this one.
My biggest note, on the positive side was the minimized number of drops from the Jacksonville pass catchers, with Brian Thomas Jr being the only pass catcher to drop a ball in the first half of play.
Defense:
4. Pass Rush Evaluation
The Jaguars front seven had themselves a much busier day than the stats sheet would reflect. Leaving the matchup with just two sacks, one might believe that the Jacksonville front had a tough go of it. However, at the half the Saints had just four first downs to Jacksonville’s 15. The Jaguars’ defense continued to get New Orleans off the field with just 70 total yards, averaging 3.5 yards per play at the half. The Saints couldn’t extend drives, nor stay on the field.
Early into the game DE Travon Walker met at the quarterback with Dawuane Smoot on their first quarter drive, showcasing what much of Sunday featured for Jacksonville (stunts, games, and interior pressure from the Jax defense). While Shough would avoid officially giving up the safety here, for all intents and purposes, it was one, with the refs throwing the flag for intentional grounding. LB Ventrell Miller also met with Smoot at the QB on his second quarter sack with two minutes remaining, collapsing the pocket on the quarterback.
DT Austin Johnson (#69) also had one snap featuring great interior pressure, delivering an impactful QB hit on Tyler Shough on the Saints’ 28-yard catch given up by Chad Muma (video below). It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, as the interior pass rush will absolutely be a work in progress, with a few plays on film where neither interior lineman would get pressure. Nevertheless, it was undoubtedly a positive overall performance up front.
5. Run Game Evaluation
As a group, the starting unit did well together to limit New Orleans in the run game. The working understanding was that the team would be somewhat limited on the interior, with DT Arik Armstead and Maason Smith both inactive entering the matchup. Yet, from my vantage, Jacksonville starting nose tackle, Davon Hamilton played pretty well in the run game, generally being pretty stout up front. However, Hamilton would lose his footing on the long, first quarter, third-down rush for New Orleans, with DE Dawuane Smoot also being pushed back six yards off the ball on the third and long rush. The play would not convert but would be one of the longer New Orleans rushes of the day, catching the defense off guard.
Additionally, DT Tyler Lacy notably seemed to pretty consistently struggle in the run game, often getting displaced in both the opening and the second drives of the game. Most notably, the Saints would have a second quarter 10-yard rush called back for holding. However, on this play Lacy would be unable to anchor, getting displaced five yards down the field.
6. LB Evaluation
Jacksonville’s linebacker group had a generally busy day, in terms of tackles with a few opportunities on tape. To start, on both the first rush of the game and the long third down rush by New Orleans, LB Foye Oluokun was washed out by the Saints OL or displaced from the middle of the field. LB Devin Lloyd would have both good and not-so-good plays in back-to-back snaps, after missing a tackle for loss on first down (where Chad Muma would also miss the tackle on the same back). Lloyd would, however, rebound well making the play on the following down on a similar rush by New Orleans.
On the second series, LB Ventrell Miller showed his nose for the ball securing a hard tackle for loss on second down, bringing the running back down. Miller was able to bring the runner down after Josh Hines-Allen missed the initial tackle. This play would be a recovery after his four-yard catch given up on first down where he would unsuccessfully dive for the pass breakup. With Miller missing the pass, the receiver would pick up two additional yards of YAC (minimal overall damage/impact).
LB Chad Muma would surrender an early first down missed tackle on the above-mentioned Devin Lloyd first down rush. He would also give up a 28-yard catch to the Saints’ tight end while in reasonably good position. He was just unable to get his hands on the ball, nor get his head around to locate the ball.
As I said, an incomplete, but productive day across the board for the linebacker core. While the second defensive line unit struggled more to give the backers cleaner lanes to identify the threat and shoot, I thought Jack Kiser still played pretty well. However, an overall takeaway from this performance was missed tackles from the defensive tackles, linebackers, and secondary continued to provide the Saints with new life in their comeback attempt.
7. Secondary Evaluation
The Jaguars safety room started off strong on Sunday with Safety Eric Murray opening the game with a nice fill of the alley on the opening rush to bring down the back with Travon Walker. Andrew Wingard would then ramp up the action with a first down sack on the starting defense’s first series.
It seemed to be a pretty strong day overall for both Murray and Dewey, with no obvious deficiencies in coverage or in the run game, and each having strong positives early on. In the second group, Darnell Savage notably missed two tackles on the day – one, a Chris Olave catch and run for a first down.
With the Jaguars’ cornerback room being down three of their top five cornerbacks, Sunday’s matchup had major second quarter questions entering the game surrounding how the limited depth of the unit would perform. Corners Tyson Campbell (undisclosed), Travis Hunter (upper-body injury), and Montaric Brown (lower-leg) were all held out of Sunday. This would mean that Jourdan Lewis and Jarrian Jones would start outside, with Christian Braswell and De’Antre Prince, the Jaguars’ third group of corners, getting significant playing time from the 13:08 mark in the second quarter against New Orleans’ second group.
Lewis and Jones played incredibly well, with no catches given up on the day, though often matched up against Saints WR Chris Olave. Jones was not targeted in coverage while Lewis was targeted just once, a third-down overthrown incompletion to Olave.
Unfortunately, after they left the field the limited secondary depth began to show, with the Saints beginning to have much more success in the passing game. Christian Braswell gave up an early first down catch on a crossing route, with DeAntre Prince surrendering multiple missed tackles, highlighted by not him wrapping up on a sideline tackle attempt that would result in a Saints’ first down on a field goal drive.
However, the team may have potentially found a diamond in the rough with recently signed, former UFL CB Keni-H Lovely, making an immediate splash play.
Special Teams:
8. Kicking
Kicker Cam Little went 1 for 1 with a long of 53 yards. Additionally, he made both of his extra points. There were limited opportunities in this one for Little, with the team turning the ball over on three occasions within his kicking range.
It was a strangely rough day for Pro Bowl punter Logan Cooke, playing in a domed field in New Orleans. Logan’s initial punt went for just 31 yards, out of bounds at the 22-yard line. His second punt similarly went for 33 yards and out of bounds at the 16-yard line. Cooke was able to right the ship on his third, 57-yard punt which netted 44 yards, after a 13-yard return. However, his final punt of the day, again went for 31 yards and out of bounds at the 18-yard line. A punt being downed inside of the 20-yard line is a good thing. However, when punting from mid-field many coaches would generally prefer the ball downed or out of bounds inside of the 15 to 10-yard line, or closer, if possible, without the risk of a touchback.
9. Return Game
As an initial note, I thought it really interesting that the opening kick returners in this one was the running back duo of Tank Bigby and Bhayshul Tuten. Additionally, the second-string return group also featured Tuten, this time paired with Parker Washington. Bigsby returned the opening kick 35 yards with Washington returning the subsequent one 29 yards. In the punt return game, Washington was the starter, breaking two missed tackles to take the opening punt return for 15 yards.
Miscellaneous:
10. Penalties
As we noted in the post-game review, Sunday was a notable improvement from week one versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, with the Jaguars’ first penalty of the day coming on their third offensive drive of the game, with their backups in the game. a Jonah Monheim false start with 13:36 remaining in the second quarter. The team ended the matchup with four total penalties for 61 yards, though 45 of those yards came on a very suspect pass interference call against Christian Braswell. The remaining penalties were a Dorian Singer false start and Ray Lanes’ neutral zone infraction to give up a first down on fourth-and-one.
11. Coaching/Scheme
Overall, it was a really strong coaching performance by the Jaguars’ staff, with most of the game issues being related to the players on the field, not the schemes being dialed up or personnel issues. Defense had minimal coverage busts or questionable plays with edges in coverage. However, many in Duval obviously left Sunday questioning the games’ final offensive play – the Seth Henigan interception with all slants called.
The initial read was WR Chandler Brayboy to the short side of the field. So, this pass wasn’t purely an attempt to get the ball to the hash where Cam Little would feel most comfortable. It seemed to simply be an attempt to pick up additional yards to make the 58-yard, game-sealing kick easier for Cam. I just don’t get the call, when practicing as if the game on the line, all in-breaking routes into traffic just seems like playing with fire. Even eating a sack or throwing it away would have at minimum resulted in a 65-yard game winning field goal attempt for Little, coming off his 70-yard field goal game.
That’s it from me for preseason week two! What were your takeaways from the game, Duval? Let us know in the comments!
