Five Takeaways From Jaguars’ Preseason Loss to Panthers
The Jacksonville Jaguars trailed 20-6 to the Carolina Panthers Friday night at halftime — a familiar territory this preseason.
Last Saturday against the New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville got out to the same, slow 20-6 start, but rebounded in a late surge to secure a 24-20 victory. Friday, however, the second half resulted in more fizzle than fight.
Jacksonville allowed another 14 points, continuing to be outscored after adding just 11 to its own efforts.
The night came with upside but exposed plenty of kinks the Jaguars still need to smooth out on both sides of the ball in a 34-17 loss.
“I thought today was a good step in the right direction in terms of running the football and getting stuff targeted and communicated the right way,” coach Liam Coen said.
Experience against the first string
Coen decided not to play his starters in Friday night’s matchup, but Panthers’ coach Dave Canales had his own first team suit up. Throughout the night, the Jaguars defense matched up with some of Carolina’s most elite offensive players – including starting quarterback Bryce Young – with the backups.
The experience only helps, but the result left more to be desired for Coen and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile on defense. The Jaguars forced no turnovers, and uncharacteristically failed to stop the Panthers’ run game, allowing 5.3 yards per rush. The secondary also struggled, recording zero pass breakups.
The Jaguars’ backup offense also faced stiff competition against a Carolina defense with some starters in the mix.
The Panthers starters saw most of their action in the first quarter, but Jacksonville still managed to power through. Though unable to get into the end zone, they put up one of their more impressive drives of the contest, reaching the Carolina 7-yard line and netting more yards (84) than Carolina (69). During the quarter, Coen said he thinks second-string quarterback Nick Mullens was still able to get some positives out of the night.
“He did some good things,” Coen said. “They had, not all their starters in, but they did have some, and I thought he was on time and rhythm getting the ball out.”
Third down struggles
The Jaguars struggled overall throughout the contest, but third down was specifically brutal for the Jacksonville crew.
The Jaguars went 4-for-12 on third down, consistently unable to convert at crucial moments. The Panthers didn’t exceed that by much, but at least managed to split their attempts, going 6-for-12. They also converted both times on fourth down, while the Jaguars didn’t attempt and instead – rightfully so – relied on kicker Cam Little.
The most costly failed third-down attempt came at the end of the first quarter. Following a 12-play drive that pushed the Jaguars to the Carolina 8-yard line, Mullens was sacked by Pat Jones II on third-and-8. Little came in to kick a 34-yard field goal to turn some points out of the long drive and hit his first of the night, but ultimately the Jaguars needed the extra points that would have come from reaching the end zone to start making up some ground.
Ameer Abdullah sparks the run game
Ameer Abdullah is not a shoo-in to make the 53-man roster with the Jaguars possibly taking just three running backs, but he certainly made a case for them to add a fourth Friday.
Abdullah shined in the matchup, making up the bulk of Jacksonville’s offensive ground in the first half with a team-high 45 yards on six carries, including a 23-yard run in the second quarter, and caught three passes for 37 yards.
“He definitely showed up tonight,” Coen said. “It’s kind of what we’ve all been seeing in a lot of ways in practice.”
Too many penalties
Throughout the first half of Friday’s contest, the Jaguars were bogged down by penalties. In the opening half alone, they racked up nine penalties for 60 yards to Carolina’s three for 25 yards.
Among the most detrimental was a 12-yard pass interference penalty on linebacker Branson Combs and a 10-yard illegal blocking penalty on linebacker Jahlani Tavai, both in the first quarter. The Jaguars also received a delay of game in the second quarter with Carter Bradley at quarterback. While the issue seemed to be corrected in the second half, the penalties were a major reason for the slow start.
The nine penalties were on par with Jacksonville’s first preseason contest against the Saints. They racked up eight penalties for 50 yards.
Cam Little is Mr. Reliable
If not for Little, the Jaguars would have finished with one score – rookie Trebor Pena’s 29-yard touchdown with just over three minutes to go in the final frame.
Similar to last season, when he recorded the longest field goal in NFL history (68 yards) and ranked eighth in the league in field goals made (30), he stepped up to put points on the board for the Jaguars. He went 3-for-3, posting nine of Jacksonville’s 17 points. His longest was a 43-yarder in the fourth quarter.
Under Heath Farwell, the special teams unit will continue to be one of the team’s strongest and most consistent as Jacksonville hones in on the other areas that faltered Friday night.
Category: Feature Sports News, Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
