Jaguars Fall in Hall of Fame Game

The Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars with a final score of 27-11 on Thursday night’s annual Hall of Fame game to kick off the NFL preseason.

Sloppy Start

The start of the first game of football in 173 days was delayed nearly an hour due to severe weather in the area. Although, this was just a sign of how the night would go for the Jaguars.

On the game’s first play, the number one overall pick, Travon Walker, committed a roughing-the-passer penalty on Jarret Stidham. Neither starting quarterback played in this one, leaving both Derek Carr and Trevor Lawrence to be spectators on the sideline.

The Jaguars found themselves scoreless after one half of play and facing a 20-point deficit.

Backup quarterback Jarret Stidham accounted for three scoring drives and one touchdown in the first half that propelled the Raiders.

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Along with stellar play from Auburn alum Stidham, 3rd-string quarterback Nick Mullens also put together a scoring drive, resulting in an Ameer Abdullah rushing touchdown.

Defensive Highlights

The Raiders found themselves dominating this game due to their third-down defense. Their ability to get off the field on third down helped compliment and keep momentum on the side of their offense. They held the Jaguars on a 25% conversion rate on third down going 3/12 along with forcing a fumble.

For the Jaguars, Travon Walker was able to redeem himself for his roughing-the-passer earlier in the game with a sack of his own.

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That was Walker’s only tackle of the night.

Leaders of the Night

Georgia product, Zamir White set the pace for the Raiders on the ground with 11 carries for 52 yards in his debut.  Jarret Stidham led the way in the air going 8-15 for 96 yards and a rushing score.

Kyle Sloter put together a fair passing performance for the Jaguars with a stat line of 127 passing yards along with a touchdown in the air. The Jaguars never were able to establish a consistent run game with their leading rusher being Mekhi Sargent who finished with five carries for 22 yards.

Raiders vs Jags: The Conclusion

Football is back.

Although it might not have been pretty for the Jaguars, football fans were chomping at the bit to see some action.

First-year head coach, Josh McDaniels had a successful homecoming in his debut as a head coach in the National Football League. McDaniels was originally from Las Vegas and was able to come away with the win after moving on from his offensive coordinator position under Bill Belichick at New England.

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The next football action will be August 11 when the Giants take on the Patriots and kicks off the first week of NFL preseason.