The Jacksonville Jaguars exited Friday’s game against the Cleveland Browns with their second consecutive preseason loss of 2022, but there was a lot to be optimistic about heading forward. While their backup players struggled mightily, their starters on offense and defense performed well.
In the first two drives of the game, the Jags accumulated field goals. The first offensive drive of the day by them lasted for 12 plays, and the unit was able to total 73 yards along the way. It started with a huge play as quarterback Trevor Lawrence was able to hit receiver Zay Jones up the sideline for a 32-yard reception. Then two plays later, Lawrence came away with another first-down by rushing for 11 yards after faking a handoff to Travis Etienne.
Speaking of Etienne, they got him heavily involved to finish the drive. His first touch of the night went for 12 yards. He then received two more carries for four yards a piece before the drive ended, and eventually, kicker Elliott Fry was able to put one in from 23 yards away. That brought the score to 3-0.
The defense didn’t want to be outdone, though. After forcing a Browns punt in the game’s initial drive, they shut down the Browns’ second offensive drive in three plays. Safety Rayshawn Jenkins was able to lay a big hit on running back D’Ernest Johnson, causing a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Shaquill Griffin.
The Jags recovered on Cleveland’s 23 as a result, but the offense had a three-and-out to follow the recovery. Kicker Ryan Santoso then came in for a 38-yard attempt that was good and put the score at 6-0.
During the Browns’ third drive, the Jags’ defense forced another punt after seven plays. The Jags’ first-team offense found themselves on Cleveland’s 37-yard line afterward and were able to put together a 12-play drive that ended with an Evan Engram receiving touchdown for nine yards.
In the drive that led to a touchdown, the Jags got notables like Etienne, Jones (through a 15-yard reception), and rookie running back Snoop Conner involved to set them up for success. Jags coach Doug Pederson was able to take advantage of their efforts with a beautiful play-action fake that led the defense to the right and left the left side of the field open for Engram to score.
After that point, the backups were put in the game and were unable to get much going. They, unfortunately, ended the night with three turnovers and were unable to score after the first team got them off to a 13-0 start.
The first turnover was an interception that was a pass from quarterback C.J. Beathard intended for receiver Jeff Cotton Jr. The third-year receiver had the ball in his grasp, but it was ripped out of his hands by defensive back Martin Emerson Jr. for a pick-six. That put the score at 14-13 in favor of Cleveland.
The second turnover was a fumble by tight end Luke Farrell in the third quarter. The second-year player hauled in a catch from quarterback Jake Luton that actually would’ve been a fourth-down conversion. However, safety D’Anthony Bell was able to knock the ball loose as Farrell didn’t secure it like he should’ve while attempting to get yards after the catch.
The last interception came in the fourth quarter as Luton and the backups were at Cleveland’s nine. After rolling out to his right, Luton tried to hit a receiver in the end zone, but was picked off by Browns cornerback Herb Miller.
The pick was indicative of Luton’s overall rough day as he ended the game 12-of-21 for 92 yards plus the pick. He finished the night with a rating of 48.1. That’s certainly not where a player wants to be heading into Tuesday’s roster cuts, but ultimately time will tell if the Jags look to keep developing him throughout camp.
As for Lawrence, he only completed 50% of his passes (6-of-12). However, he made several explosive plays for the team when he was making completions and looked to be in command of the offense. There were also a few passes that were dropped by his skill guys where arguments could be made that the balls were catchable.
In addition to Lawrence’s good performance, it was good to see some of the first and second-team skill weapons make plays for the young quarterback. Etienne looked explosive in his first game back, and Jones brought explosive playmaking ability to the mix through the air, leading the team in receptions with 47 yards.
Then lastly, fans got a glimpse of the things Pederson could cook up with Engram as well. That’s huge because the scheme is expected to get great production out of the tight end position, and the hope is that Engram will lead the way.
Overall, it was an encouraging day when looking at the performance of the players who fans will see the most in the regular season, but the group must continue to improve. The performance of the backups is something that will need to improve in the next two preseason games, too, or fans will have a reason to be concerned about the Jags’ depth in the near future.