Big Cat Country
The Jacksonville Jaguars starting units bounced back in a huge way on Sunday. And while the final score may not reflect just how dominant the day went, we have you covered. After providing the live takeaways and lingering questions from this week’s’ game, we take a closer review of the matchup after evaluating the televised gameplay.
As a note, this review is based on the non-all-22 film, while being published before the PFF grades are released (in an effort to remain truly uninfluenced and unbiased on what we see). Additionally, this style of review knowingly places some limitations on evaluating secondary play without confirming the full coverage looks. With that said, let’s get into some takeaways from the Jaguars’ 17 to 17 tie with the New Orleans Saints.
*Any opinions noted are those of Travis and not of the entire BCC staff or leadership. Of course, anyone can disagree when evaluating film. Any noted EPA data was retrieved from rbsdm.com.
Offense:
1. QB Evaluation
Sunday was a second consecutive strong game from Trevor Lawrence and the starting Jaguars unit. After going 6/7 for 43 yards against Pittsburgh Lawrence would go 8/10 for 76 yards and a touchdown against the Saints. Trevor was sharp on his two drives, with no throws getting away from him. He got the ball out quickly and didn’t take any unnecessary hits. However, the first drive fumble marred what would have otherwise been a nearly perfect day. With Ezra Cleveland stepping on Lawrence’s foot, he attempts to continue handing the ball off to Tank Bigsby, unsuccessfully.
Backup Nick Mullens had another up-and-down performance, with a highlight reel throw to Hunter Long (to come later) but also an interception surrendered and a few incomplete throws that were just slightly off target with open receivers. However, going 14/17 for 112 yards is a quality backup QB performance, if not for the redzone interception. While the turnover was a great play by the defender, it’s a play that can turn a “great” day into just okay.
2. RB Rushing Evaluation
Running back Travis Etienne received his first carries on the offense’s second series, but quickly became the “hot hand” in this one, catching an eight-yard reception to then immediately bust off a 15-yard run on second down.
However, the takeaway from this play is obviously that, yes Travis Etienne is really, really hard to bring down in space – as he forces four to five missed tackles on this rush. But also, the biggest takeaway is the performance of the offensive line unit, opening a hole that I could jog through.
An incredible diving block by Patrick Mekari opens the lane, with Robert Hainsey sealing inside, and Brenton Strange and Fred Johnson combo blocking the Edge. As a note, Mekari had one heck of an overall game at right guard. Whether it was diving blocks, cut blocks, backside blocking on Bigsby’s screen, staying active on plays, etc – he did it all in this one. If you need teaching...
