JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars may have lost to the Giants 22-12, but there are plenty of positives to take away from their second preseason game.
More good than bad out of Blake Bortles:
On paper, Bortles numbers of 8-for-16 for 98 yards don't look great. But he did lead the Jaguars to a scoring drive on all three of his possessions. If not for a holding call and a couple of drops, the Jaguars may have been able to get in the end zone.
"Obviously you want to get seven and not three, but we were able to get some points and put some good drives together," said Bortles. "I thought we ran the ball well. I thought the offensive line ran block well and protected really well, too. I think it was a good start."
One throw Bortles would like to have back is a wheel route to Denard Robinson. He was late on the throw and the pass was broken up, instead of being an easy touchdown.
UNCUT POSTGAME REMARKS:
Coach Bradley | Blake Bortles
Were we wrong about the offensive line?
OK, that's probably going too far. Outside of one blown assignment the offensive line looked good against the Giants. Bortles had plenty of time in the pocket and they opened up some nice lanes in the running game.
The Jaguars were deep in Giants territory (on the 11-yard line) on their second drive. They had to settle for a field goal after Luke Joeckel was called for a holding penalty. Overall a much better game from Joeckel, compared to last week against Pittsburgh. Both Bortles and the offensive line were pulled not even midway through the second quarter.
Drops once again an issue:
Against Pittsburgh there were at least three drops by the receivers and the same issue remained against the Giants. Allen Robinson showed his explosiveness with three catches for 64 yards. He also dropped a sure first down. On the very next play the throw from Bortles was a little bit behind him, but it's still a very catchable ball. Those are the types of plays that the Jaguars need for Robinson to make.
Same thing goes for Allen Hurns. Bortles took a shot downfield to Hurns and while the throw was contested, it was a play that Hurns could've made. That was a 50/50 ball where once again the Jaguars needed their receiver to go and make a play.
The defense:
No the pass rush wasn't able to get to Eli Manning. However, the defensive line was able to bat down a couple of passes. Overall Eli Manning completed just 4-of-14 passes. Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the most explosive receivers in the entire league and the Jaguars secondary was able to hold him to zero catches. Last week there were several big plays allowed by the secondary, so this was a sign of improvement.
"Well, we played a little bit tighter coverage," said Gus Bradley. "I think there are some things we can even get better at. But [I'm] very pleased with how we came out compared to last week."
Other news and notes:
- Rashad Greene looks to have won the punt return job. He did muff a punt against the Giants but was able to make his own recovery. Greene had two punt returns for a total of six yards.
- Speaking of returns… Corey Grant is doing his best to earn the kick-off return job. He had a nice long 42-yard return and averaged 38.5 yards on two returns.
- Nick Marshall had a costly penalty in the fourth quarter. He jumped off-sides during a Giants field goal attempt. The Giants took advantage of the first down and scored just a few plays later.