While Nick Mullens struggled and turnovers nearly derailed the preseason opener, undrafted RB J’Mari Taylor saved the day, powering Jacksonville’s sluggish offense to a gritty late-game victory.
The Jacksonville Jaguars opened the preseason with a come-from-behind, 24-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Saturday.
Had this been a regular-season game, we could focus on the Jaguars' comeback and use the old "a win is a win" cliché. However, in preseason games where the goal is to have players make a claim for their spot on the roster and hopefully have the team looking ready for the real games, there wasn't a lot to like about Saturday's game.
Especially on offense, where Jacksonville was incredibly sloppy and inefficient.
Backup quarterback Nick Mullens got the start and played the first quarter. He had a miserable outing, finishing the day 3-for-7 for 33 yards and a red-zone interception that killed a promising Jaguars drive. Even with the benefit of multiple short fields after a strip sack and shanked punt, Mullens couldn't put the Jags in the end zone, instead losing yards on both of Jacksonville's field goal drives.
Mullens came into this game with a stranglehold on the QB2 job, but a performance like this may cause Jacksonville to scour the market for an upgrade. There is a former top-5 pick with a lot of upside currently available in a trade if the Jaguars decide to pull the trigger.
After Mullens' day was done, Carter Bradley took over and was unable to find much success in the second quarter. After a nice 17-yard completion to rookie WR CJ Williams on his first play, the Jaguars were forced to punt after being unable to pick up another first down.
Bradley's next drive was even worse. He threw an interception on third down, setting up a quick Saints touchdown. Another unsuccessful drive gave the Saints the ball back before the half, and they were able to drive from their own five-yard-line with 1:02 left for a field goal as the first-half clock expired.
Bradley came back out for the third quarter and had some success, marching the Jags on a 10-play, 79-yard drive that ended with a one-yard TD pass to tight end Hunter Long. He also led the team on a grinding, 17-play drive that featured a ton of J'Mari Taylor (more on him in a moment) and resulted in Cam Little's third FG of the game. Bradley finished his night 10-for-17 for 105 yards with a TD and a pick.
Undrafted rookie Joey Aguilar would take over about halfway through the fourth and guided the Jaguars to the game-winning TD. Aguilar only attempted one pass, but made the most of it, connecting with rookie WR Trebor Pena for a 43-yard gain down to the Saints' two. Taylor would punch it in from there.
J'Mari Taylor
With none of Jacksonville's top-3 RBs playing, it was obvious the coaches wanted to get a good look at Taylor. He was a true workhorse in this game, rushing 22 times for 78 yards and the game-winning TD. Taylor didn't break many long runs, but in a game where the rest of the offense struggled, he was able to keep the chains moving and made a strong statement for a roster spot.
Rookie Watch
The Jaguars went into this game expecting to get good looks at several rookies. Many showed flashes and had their moments. Aside from Taylor, Williams pulled in two passes for 28 yards. Fellow WR Josh Cameron had a 17-yard catch of his own. Pena had 3-for 58. Guard Emmanuel Pregnon had an encouraging debut.
Defensive tackle Albert Regis had a sack. Safety Jalen Huskey had five tackles and a PBU.
Edge rusher Bryan Thomas Jr., not to be confused with WR Brian Thomas Jr., had four tackles and a sack.
Quick Hits
The defense played well, notching four sacks, including Yasir Muhammad's strip-sack, recovered by B.J. Green. The Saints were held to only 277 total yards.
Cornerback Jabbar Muhammad continued his strong play, recording six tackles and a PBU.
New linebacker Jahlani Tavai had six total tackles.
Linebacker Branson Combs, who is competing with Ventrell Miller for Devin Lloyd's old starting job, had three tackles and a PBU, while Miller only had a single tackle.
Trade acquisition Ruke Orhorhoro split a sack with Danny Striggow.
Final Thoughts
It was an ugly game from Jacksonville's offense. If not for Taylor and a few mistakes from the Saints, the Jaguars would not have won this game.
Going into the season with Mullens as QB2 looks like a risky decision. It wouldn't be surprising if the Jaguars looked around for a way to upgrade the backup QB spot.
Several rookies had promising debuts and make a case to carve out some playing time this season.
The offensive line looked shaky, giving up four sacks and not being able to open many holes in the running game. Jacksonville only averaged 3.3 yards per carry with the team's longest run only 13 yards.
The Jaguars' next preseason game is at home against the Carolina Panthers on Friday at 7:30 PM.
