Jacksonville’s shaky defensive effort and sloppy turnovers overshadowed Ameer Abdullah’s standout performance as Carolina dominated the Jaguars' backups in a lopsided preseason loss.
The regular season can't get here fast enough for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With Liam Coen again deciding not to play his starters, the Jaguars' backups were thoroughly dominated and fell at home to the Carolina Panthers 34-17. The game was called at the two-minute warning due to inclement weather.
Last week, the Jaguars' offense had a sloppy, inefficient effort. This week, the defense left much to be desired. Unlike last week, when running back J'Mari Taylor fueled a comeback victory, Jacksonville couldn't keep tonight's game competitive.
The Jaguars' defense allowed Carolina to rack up 385 yards of total offense. Both Kenny Pickett and Kyle Trask threw a touchdown for the Panthers, while running backs Jonathon Brooks and AJ Dillon each ran for a score.
Jacksonville's defense couldn't get off the field, allowing Carolina to convert six of its 12 third downs and both fourth-down attempts. The Panthers scored on four of their last five drives, with the other ending with a missed 31-yard field goal.
It wasn't pretty. Let's check out the bad and the good (there was some) from tonight's game.
The Bad
The defense had a night to forget. The Jaguars gave up 147 yards on the ground on 28 rushes (5.3 yards per rush). The pass defense was equally ineffective, allowing Carolina's three quarterbacks to complete 24 of their 35 passes for 238 yards and the two TDs.
Jacksonville was not able to record a pass break up all night.
The Jaguars also struggled with penalties, committing nine for 60 yards, all in the first half.
Jacksonville committed two turnovers, a terrible Carter Bradley interception where he threw back across his body, allowing the Panthers' Chau Smith-Wade to make a terrific play on the ball, and a DeeJay Dallas fumble.
The Jaguars did not force a turnover or record a sack on the night.
Bradley had a bad night, going 6-for-13 for 51 yards and the pick, his second straight preseason game with an interception. He may be losing ground to undrafted rookie Joey Aguilar (more on him in a bit) for the QB3 job.
The Good
Last week against the Saints, it was J'Mari Taylor who was the bright spot for Jacksonville's offense. This week, running back Ameer Abdullah reminded everyone what he can bring to the table. The 12-year veteran rushed six times for 45 yards, including a great cutback run that went for 23, and got the Jaguars out of the shadow of their own end zone. Abdullah was also a weapon in the passing game, bringing in three of four targets for 37 yards.
With the injury to third-down back LeQuint Allen Jr., Abdullah made a strong claim for the roster after Taylor did the same last week.
Aguilar, who has been repping as Jacksonville's 4th-string QB, had a fantastic night. After completing his lone attempt last week for 43 yards, Aguilar went 9-for-10 for 130 yards, including a 29-yard TD to rookie WR Trebor Pena.
Pena continued his strong preseason with four catches for 72 yards a week after catching three for 58 yards. He is making a very strong case for the practice squad.
Rookie sixth-round picks Josh Cameron and CJ Williams each stood out. Cameron brought in both of his targets for 41 yards, including a terrific 22-yard snag. Williams was targeted four times, catching all four for 22 yards. While he didn't have any splash plays like Cameron, he was able to move the chains on multiple occasions.
Backup quarterback Nick Mullens had a much better showing. After a miserable game against New Orleans, Mullens rebounded nicely, completing six of seven passes for 65 yards, likely quieting the whispers about Jacksonville needing an upgrade behind Trevor Lawrence.
Linebacker Branson Combs, who is competing with Ventrell Miller, nearly got home on a third-down blitz, forcing an incompletion and getting the ball back to his offense.
Final Thoughts
Even though the game was lopsided in favor of Carolina, there were a few positive things to take out of this game.
Jacksonville also came out of the game without any significant injuries. Cornerback Jabbar Muhammad suffered an early injury and had to be attended to by trainers, but was able to return to the game.
The Jaguars wrap up the preseason next Friday at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 7:30 PM. While the starters almost certainly won't play, there will be joint practices against Tampa for them to get some good work in before the real games begin.
