JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you blinked, you missed them, but Liam Coen said everyone would play and they all did play in Jacksonville’s 31-25 preseason loss to the Steelers on Saturday night. Hopefully you were in front of the TV or in your seat for the start of the game, or you missed most of the Jaguars starters. This wasn’t the preseason game that people had been dreaming of.
For the Jags starting offense, it wasn’t a bad drive. They moved the ball even, picking up a fourth and 1 with a tough run by Dyami Brown where he trucked a guy at the end of the run. But the drive stalled and ended with a Cam Little field goal.
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Little was, by far, the star of the night. He nailed a 70-yard field goal right before halftime. And he still had some extra leg. Little is dialed in and is a secret weapon for the Jags. But when the season rolls around, they need to keep that weapon a little more secret.
Too many drives stalled and ended in field goals. This is something we saw from the Jags last year, and it’s not great to see it again on the field, even in preseason.
Another part of the game that felt like a big of Groundhog Day was the Jags defense. Jacksonville’s starting D made life way too easy for the Steelers. They let them walk right down the field and into the end zone without much resistance. It is preseason and things are cranked up to the max so not a huge red flag but maybe a point of concern.
Overall, a clean outing. Everyone made it out healthy. Trevor Lawrence looked in control of the offense. Travis Hunter looks like a problem on defense. That’s the good.
The Bad. Way too many penalties and way too many dropped passes. Those are points that have been calling cards of the Jags in years past, and a lot has changed around the team in this offseason. Somehow, that has stayed the same. Not a great sign, but still time to get it cleaned up. But these are similar issues that showed up during the mock game. So, at this point it is becoming a bit of a theme.
Notebook
- Andrew Wingard and Eric Murray got the start at safety. How they use the safeties is going to be worth watching. During the second quarter, they rolled out a four-safety look with Antonio Johnson and Darnell Savage in the slots, and Rayuan Lane and Daniel Thomas playing deep.
- Tyler Lacy and DaVon Hamilton got the start at defensive tackle. This is pretty consistent with what we have seen throughout camp so no real surprise.
- Chuma Edoga got the start at right guard. Patrick Mekari has been dealing with back spasms and didn’t play but still worth noting since the depth chart put an or between Edoga and Mekari and maybe that OR is just for health.
- Anton Harrison was flagged for a false start on the first play. The first play. Yeab that’s not a great way to start things off.
- Wyatt Milum ran at right tackle with the second team offense. This may be because Edoga got the start or maybe they want to see the rookie on the outside. To me, Milum has look better when playing tackle. Moving inside as been a big adjustment for him. I’m no O-line expert, but there is definitely a noticeable difference in his play.
- Travis Etienne got the first drive of the game while Tank Bigsby took the second drive. No real high points for either. Etienne slipped and Bigsby had a dropped pass.
- Little made a 70-yard field goal. That is the longest field goal made in the preseason since at least 1970. The regular-season record is 66 yards, set by K Justin Tucker.
- Danny Striggow is a player to watch. Striggow has been active on the camp field and showed up on the field during the game. A strip sack and recovery is a good way to get noticed. He sliced through for a few other pressures. He is a UDFA to watch, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him on the 53.
