Big Cat Country
The Jacksonville Jaguars started the season with an emphatic 26-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in what was an over four-hour-long outing at Everbank Stadium.
It was all Jags from the jump when the team took the ball to start and marched down the field for a field goal. Yes, it was a win against the Panthers, but it was a win to start the year nonetheless.
This team is far from polished but today has to instill confidence that this version of the Jaguars can be a playoff contender. Hopefully this isn’t the last time, but basically everyone is a winner after that opening day win.
WINNERS
Travis Etienne
What a day for Travis Etienne. For someone who almost seemed like they were being phased out over the summer, Etienne put the stamp on why he should remain the team’s starter with a 143-yard rushing day. Etienne busted one for 71, aided by the guy below, finishing with an 8.9 average per carry. He even caught three balls for 13 yards.
Overall the Jags finished with 200 yards rushing against a poor run defense team, but it was the legs of Etienne that kept the offense churning all day.
Brenton Strange
Who had Brenton Strange leading the Jags in receiving in Week 1 on their betting slip?
Strange had a monster day in the pass-catching department with a team-high 59 yards. In the blocking sphere, Strange had a key block on a Panthers defender that gave Etienne the space he needed to jump-cut and go off for 71 yards (see above video). If anyone had any doubts about Strange being a good Evan Engram replacement, Sunday likely quieted those doubts.
Offensive Line Play
It feels like forever ago when this sentence could be typed: The Jacksonville Jaguars did not allow a sack.
But it was true Sunday!
The Jags revamped offensive line didn’t allow their signal caller to get sacked, or even touched, all game save for that one intentional grounding. The line can also be given credit for how well the run game worked. It was a great day up front for the Jags.
The negative for the offensive line, however, was that starter Anton Harrison went down super late in the fourth quarter with a back injury. His status will be a big thing to monitor heading into the Bengals game next week.
Foye Oluokon
Not to many people’s surprise, but the Jags stalwart linebacker Foye Oluokon had a great game. Oloukon led the team in tackles, caught a pick and forced a fumble. Those turnovers resulted in 10 points on their own which matched the entire scoring output from the Panthers.
Oluokon is flat-out a great player and showcased everything he can offer at the expense of Bryce Young and the Panthers’ offense.
Defensive Backs
On the topic of defense, the defensive backfield had a hell of a day. Tyson Campbell played quite well against Tet McMillian and was in on a bunch of...
