Jaguars vs. Buccaneers: PFF Names Tre Flowers Player of the Game
![Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tre Flowers (37) throws the ball to fans in the stands as he warmed up ahead of the start of Saturday's game against the Chiefs. The Jaguars led 20 to 10 at the end of the first half. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in the Jaguars first preseason game of the season Saturday, August10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tre Flowers (37) throws the ball to fans in the stands as he warmed up ahead of the start of Saturday's game against the Chiefs. The Jaguars led 20 to 10 at the end of the first half. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in the Jaguars first preseason game of the season Saturday, August10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/jaguar_report/01j5k65ndjswvjvw91bc.jpg)
The Jacksonville Jaguars came out of Saturday with their second win of the preseason, knocking off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-7 at EverBank Stadium.
The Jaguars managed to keep the Buccaneers out of the end-zone other than a Kyle Trask passing touchdown in the first half, with the backups in the secondary and front-seven creating constant disruption for the Buccaneers front.
"Defensively, just keeping guys fresh. You see all the different rotations and substitutions that they do. Just keeps guys fresh for four quarters," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the game.
"We came up big at the end, and because guys were a little more -- I don't want to say completely fresh, but they were a little more -- had a little more juice there at the end.”
But, which Jaguar stood out the most in the physical contest? According to Pro Football Focus, veteran cornerback Tre Flowers deserves the nod for Player of the Game.
"Jaguars cornerback Tre Flowers played 33 snaps on Saturday night, 20 of which were spent in coverage. He was targeted five times but gave up only two catches for 9 yards and no first downs. He forced two incompletions, tallied one defensive stop and gave up just a 47.9 passer rating when targeted," PFF said.
With most of the Jaguars starters not playing after a week of joint practices with the Buccaneers, Saturday marked a good chance for backups like Flowers to push for a spot on the 53-man roster.
“You get a chance to get your starters a lot of reps in a controlled environment against another football team. I thought both teams really showed great sportsmanship during the week. Coach Bowles does a great job obviously with his team, and our guys, I was proud of the way our guys handled themselves," Pederson said.
"But to get our starters the number of reps they did for two days in a controlled environment really is good work. Because in a game like tonight, they would only get maybe a quarter again or a quarter and a half. Sometimes you don't get the scenarios or situations you want, so doing a joint practice like that you can do that and really get some good work."