The Jacksonville Jaguars only have one touchdown so far and it didn’t come until the fourth quarter in the second preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Some would say this is a cause of concern, and…. well, it is.
First half of the preseason
Yes, there are a lot of injuries, and yes it’s only preseason, but players not getting on the field is only going to prevent momentum from forming early into the season. The Jaguars third preseason game will say a lot about the overall talent on the offensive side of the ball with almost the entire starting offensive line projected to start. Lets dive into the offensive line from what we saw so far this August.
In the first play of the game the starting left guard trips allowing only a short gain early on.
I took some time today breaking down the Jaguars first 2 Preseason games... #NotGreatButNotTerrible pic.twitter.com/Vwa3MbzicX
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 17, 2019
Here is a good play design but bad execution by the offensive line not knowing who to pick up.
The Jaguars didn't have many starters in each game but its not a great sign for OL depth. Good thing is there were plays that were called multiple times and the 2nd time around, they improved... pic.twitter.com/jB0ubth0FT
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 17, 2019
Despite the bad attempt in the first quarter a similar play call was made in the second quarter with a pretty good outcome.
The Jaguars didn't have many starters in each game but its not a great sign for OL depth. Good thing is there were plays that were called multiple times and the 2nd time around, they improved... pic.twitter.com/jB0ubth0FT
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 17, 2019
On the next play the starting offensive line from last year loses a 3 v 2 battle with the Ravens defensive line. This is why Jaguar fans should be excited to see Jawaan Taylor make his first start tonight.
Its 3rd & 6 and on the OL from right to left Jaguars have 77 Ogbuehi, 60 AJ Cann (who can never choose who he wants to block) and 69 Shatley. So lets just say i'm looking forward to seeing the rookie Jawaan Taylor get in there. #Jaguars #Duval pic.twitter.com/iIq08AcVkl
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 17, 2019
This has to be the worst play of the entire preseason and where I leave the second string offensive line alone
Koyack can we get a blitz pick-up or delayed route? What. A. Hit... Surprised Minshew didnt come out after this. This was the first play of the 5th drive. The line will need to communicate if Nick Foles is back there. This is the exact reason why he isnt playing. #Jaguars #nfl pic.twitter.com/nWLGcc6tHc
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 17, 2019
The second play of the game was an easy touchdown but Gardner Minshew under threw D.J. Chark. Good sign is that Nick Foles would have marked up an easy six points here.
Seems like there are the same issues as last year and that's the WR inability to bring the ball in and/or the OL with a lack of awareness. #jaguars #duval #klipdraw pic.twitter.com/J5z1kI52SV
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 17, 2019
Minshew will make a pretty solid backup is he continues to read the defense like he does here on this play. The Linebacker creeps up for the blitz and without though Minshew sees the open space and gets it to Tre McBride for the first down.
Minshew makes a great read & throw here! Its key for the QB to look to the spot where the blitz is coming from bc there is a good chance he will be open; looks like his QB instincts came in and threw it to the place only Tre would get it with the MLB so close to the WR #Klipdraw pic.twitter.com/2YVuSrHLSS
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 17, 2019
Moving onto Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
There were a lot of well thought out play designs that fooled the Eagles defense. Here is a play early that gave the Jaguars a 14 yard gain.
Pretty cool play design Preseason Week 2 v Philadelphia Eagles. #Jaguars #Duval pic.twitter.com/2fdTeRrsNJ
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 21, 2019
Week 2 still left me scratching my head with the recent offseason pickup of Cedric Ogbuehi from the Cincinnati Bengals. Luckily Alfred Blue came out of the backfield quick preventing the edge rusher from getting a hand on him but it is surprising how Cedric only held him up for a few milliseconds.
Leonard Fournette will eat real good this season with a FB. I love to see these large gains on the ground. A FB is key for LF this season the more protection the better #Klipdraw #Duval #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/BN7qp8qe9q
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 21, 2019
On this next play, which was one of the largest gains in the entire preseason, the play action fools the entire Eagles defense leaving McBride wide open over top the linebackers.
Tyler Shatley making one of the best plays i've ever seen by him. Not going to lie, he has some jets on him. I love when the offensive line gets to pull and they turn normal plays into explosive ones. #Offense #NFL #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/KiEXBOMEjI
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 21, 2019
Another very cool play design with Tyler Shatley (Yes! I said Shatley!) as the lead blocker for the running back here where he pulls and makes a key block on the safety.
The design and execution I promise this will be one of the funnest offensive seasons. #Jaguars #Duval pic.twitter.com/t5nKERcDu0
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 21, 2019
On the next play the defense is playing off the wide receivers on third down and Minshew is still able to get the ball to the tight end to get the first down. The quarterback’s head is the most crucial part of this play to keep the safety on the left side of the field giving James O’Shaughnessy open space for the catch.
A backup quarterback going through his reads =/= bringing up the defense to open up a hole big enough for Minchew to get the first down... on 3rd & 10. These plays are why I love this game. The simplicity and execution #Duval pic.twitter.com/iLD84mCJ1P
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 21, 2019
Let’s hope the Jaguars offense leave these cross patterns in the past. During the Eagles game they were only called two or three times.
One thing I am really happy about is we arent going to see as many cross patterns like we did in the past. These plays only happened in the middle of the game. Its great to see more fade routes attempted and ....lets just say balls that are deeper than 10yds down field pic.twitter.com/rEWfJdN7at
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 22, 2019
Let’s keep it that way.
Overall, I am happy with the Jaguars offensive performance in through two weeks of the preseason despite the massive amount of injuries to the starters. They stepped it up from Week 1 and I only see them improving with a healthier offensive line and Leonard Fournette in the backfield.
In tonight’s game against the Miami Dolphins if the Jaguars don’t score at least 14 points in the first half then it will be a cause for concern.