Although Marqise Lee’s injury was the dominant headline coming out of Jacksonville’s 17-6 preseason win over the Atlanta Falcons last Saturday, that wasn’t the only takeaway from the game. The stellar play of the Jaguars’ running backs, another strong performance from the defense and continued, impressive play from backup quarterback Cody Kessler, served as additional, and important, storylines to discuss.
Watch out for the running backs this year
If Saturday’s preseason contest against the Falcons is any indication of what is to come this season, the Jaguars may have a three-headed monster in the form of running backs Leonard Fournette, T.J. Yeldon and Corey Grant.
The backs totaled nearly 200 yards of offense … in a preseason game. Fournette rushed for 57 yards on 10 carries and added three catches for 18 yards. At the beginning of the second quarter, he made a Madden-like cut of beauty that resulted in a 21-yard rushing score.
“Coach was telling me how their defense was going to play it and to be patient and trust your run gaps and run scheme and it came open,” Fournette explained.
Grant added five carries for 32 yards and five receptions for 39 yards, while Yeldon contributed five carries for 23 yards and three catches for 23 yards. Throughout the evening, the Jaguars creatively called plays that featured more than one of them on the field, which Marrone said is all about getting more playmakers on the field.
“Same thing with Leonard (Fournette) being out there on third down a little bit more, but T.J. (Yeldon) we know can carry a load on first or second down, Corey (Grant) is a guy that has some speed that is a really good changeup for those two,” Marrone said. “So, we’re just trying to continue to look at ways that can help us move the football.”
Defense continues to be the hallmark of the Jaguars
The Atlanta Falcons were a top-10 offense in the NFL in 2017-2018, gaining 364.8 yards and posting 22.1 points per game. Against the Jaguars on Saturday night, the Falcons, who played most of their starters through the first half, finished with 261 total yards and six points.
On Atlanta’s two scoring drives in the first half, the Falcons seemed to be gaining momentum as Matt Ryan and company drove the team downfield. But each time, the Jaguars made a stand.
On the Falcons’ first drive of the game, Jaguars defensive lineman Malik Jackson sacked Ryan on second down at the Jacksonville 29-yard line. The following play, cornerback Tyler Patmon deflected Ryan’s pass, leading to a Matt Bryant 47-yard field goal.
The Falcons would go three-and-out on three straight drives, which included sacks by cornerback D.J. Hayden and linebacker Myles Jack. Bryant’s next field goal, and Atlanta’s last points in the game, came at the end of the first half after safety Jarrod Wilson broke up a pass by Ryan in the corner of the end zone on third down. Ryan, a former NFL MVP, finished 5 of 12 for 57 yards. Backups Matt Schaub and Kurt Benkert totaled 10 of 21 for 154 yards. The team totaled 70 yards on the ground. The Falcons were 2 of 11 on third down.
“I think that we’ve shown a lot,” Jackson said about the defense’s performance this preseason. “We’ve shown growth and consistency and accountability and think that’s the key thing right now.”
It should be noted that star Falcons receiver Julio Jones did not play in the game. Regardless, the defense’s performance was, once again, impressive.
Kessler a reliable option at quarterback
Blake Bortles is the starting quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. There’s no doubt about it this year. But his backup, Cody Kessler, is sure putting himself together a solid preseason.
After Bortles played into the third quarter and finished 17 of 23 for 204 yards and two interceptions, Kessler entered the game and engineered an 11-play, 83-yard drive that resulted in an awkward 2-yard touchdown run by him off a fumbled snap.
Nevertheless, the former Brown finished the game 7 of 7 for 79 yards. And he finished the second preseason game against the Vikings 11 of 16 for 72 yards and the first game against the New Orleans Saints 14 of 17 for 139 yards and a touchdown.
Granted, Kessler has been playing against second- and third-team defenses during the preseason, but his numbers speak for themselves, and they should provide the Jaguars with comfort knowing they have a solid option if something were to happen to Bortles.
