Saints 23, Jaguars 21: Jacksonville Struggles in Rehearsal Game
After spending the last week talking incessantly about starting fast, the Jacksonville Jaguars did the very opposite against the New Orleans Saints in Monday's 23-21 loss.
The Jaguars struggled through the first quarter of the Monday Night Football preseason game, allowing two deep scores to Jameis Winston and Marquez Callaway through the first three defensive drives, each coming against the starting defense.
Offensively, the Jaguars managed just one first down and zero points through the first four drives. On special teams, Logan Cooke failed to get the Jaguars past midfield with a 34-yard punt in the first quarter while Josh Lambo missed his second field goal of the preseason.
All in all, it was a sluggish affair for the Jaguars' starting units in all areas, with the Jaguars trailing the Saints 14-3 entering halftime.
Trevor Lawrence played the entire first half for the Jaguars after getting the start but mustered just two scoring opportunities for the Jaguars, resulting in three points. The No. 1 overall pick completed 14-of-23 passes for 113 yards (4.9 yards per attempt), finishing with a passer rating of 73.3.
While Lawrence completed several impressive throws, the overall inconsistent offensive output wasn't enough for the Jaguars to catch up to an explosive Saints' offense.
Facing Jameis Winston, the Jaguar's defense allowed 144 yards and two touchdowns on 16 plays (9.0 yards per play) in the first three drives of the game. This included a 43-yard score to Marquez Callaway in double coverage, with Tyson Campbell drawing a defensive pass interference. This score was followed up two drives later with another Winston-to-Callaway connection, this time a 29-yard score over Shaquill Griffin.
The Jaguars' offense finished the first half with only 134 net yards on 34 plays, an average of 3.9 yards per play. The Jaguars got on the board with a 34-yard field goal from Lambo following a 12-play, 53-yard drive. Lambo would then go on to miss a 43-yard field goal on his next attempt, though he made up for it to an extent with a 36-yard field goal in the fourth-quarter.
Jacksonville entered the game with their hands tied somewhat behind their back on the offensive line. Jacksonville started two backups and a rookie along the offensive line, with rookie Walker Little at left tackle, Ben Bartch at left guard and Tyler Shatley at center.
The lack of veterans along the offensive line was a factor early, with the Jaguars failing to move the ball on the ground. The Jaguars converted one first down on the ground in the first half if you take away a Lawrence scramble, while James Robinson, Carlos Hyde, and Travis Etienne combined for nine carries for 21 yards.
Jacksonville's defense fared slightly better against Taysom Hill, though the Saints got on the board with a 52-yard field goal from Aldrick Rosas and a 14-yard touchdown by Lil'Jordan Humphrey over Chris Claybrooks.
The highlights for Jacksonville on defense included a third-down sack by Jihad Ward, the Jaguars' second sack of the preseason and the first by a player who is projected to be a major contributor. The run defense also limited the Saints to 30 yards on nine carries (3.3 yards), with 11 of those yards coming on one carry.
Jacksonville's second- and third-team offenses generated the biggest plays of the night. Devine Ozigbo zigged and zagged his way through the Saints' defense for a 30-yard gain on a screen, while Josh Hammond took a Gardner Minshew completion for 34 yards.
But after a defensive pass interference on Pharaoh Cooper in the end zone, the Jaguars and Minshew still failed to score a touchdown. Minshew scrambled in the pocket on second-down before an errant pass landed in the hands of Saints' linebacker Wynton McManis.
Minshew, who has been competeing with Lawrence for the team's starting quarterback job, played three drives, completing 13-of-21 passes for 149 yards (7.1 yards per catch) and one interception.
Jacksonville did manage to cross the goal-line once the reserves came in, with C.J. Beathard throwing a pair of touchdown strikes and a two-point conversion to give the Jaguars points.
The first touchdown came via a Beathard to Jeff Cotton Jr. connection, with Cotton Jr. catching a three-yard touchdown after previously catching a 34-yard reception on the same drive. The second score saw Beathard take advantage of a busted coverage to find Collin Johnson for a 24-yard touchdown before Beathard found Nathan Cottrell for the two-point score.
Beathard finished the game 9-of-14 for 121 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Jaguars to an 18-point fourth-quarter. Beathard now has three touchdown passes for the Jaguars this preseason, the only quarterback on the roster with more than one (Jake Luton is the only other quarterback with a touchdown).
Ultimately, Monday served as a chance for the Jaguars to build some momentum after a poor start to the preseason against the Cleveland Browns a week ago. But after three hours of sloppy play, the Jaguars and Urban Meyer are once again left to do some reflecting moving forward.
The Jaguars will next travel to Dallas to play the Cowboys on Aug. 29. That will be Jacksonville's final preseason game for the Sept. 12 season debut at the Houston Texans.
