JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars faced the Carolina Panthers in the third and most important preseason game of the year, losing 24-23. Here are the answers to the four biggest questions that lingered heading into the game:
1. The Quarterback
Chad Henne played the entire first half, completing 8/14 passes for 73 yards. Among his passes, two stood out: both deep balls down the left sideline. One was dropped by Keelan Cole, the other was caught for a 37 yard gain by Allen Robinson. In the first half, Henne was the quarterback for one touchdown drive, but it was largely due to a 51 yard gain on a fake punt run by Corey Grant. If this was an actual, fully even quarterback competition coming into Thursday, it is doubtful that Henne did enough to take the starting job. However, this isn't just a straight up competition with no history behind it.
Bortles started the second half and played against a mix of Carolina's starters and reserves. He promptly went three-and-out. Later in the third quarter, his pass intended for Allen Hurns wobbled as it came out of his hand. It was intercepted and nearly returned for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, he found Shane Wynn with a 4-yard touchdown pass. In the drive, which started in the third quarter, Wynn hauled in Bortles' best pass of the day, a deep out that gained 18 yards. The drive came as Bortles was playing against a Carolina defense with no starters in the lineup.
Bortles finished the game 12/16, 125 yards with a touchdown and an interception, although much of it was playing with a starting offensive line and facing a backup-filled defense.
In short, the Jaguars don't appear to have any quarterback who has played well enough to be called the starter, so they may have to make a choice among the lesser of all evils.
2. Kicker
Jason Myers, who had been under scrutiny this preseason, made a 44-yard field goal and an extra point in the first half, enough to keep his job.
3. Wide receiver battle
Allen Robinson continues to show that he is the class of this group. With Marqise Lee out with an ankle injury, the Jaguars are looking for someone to step up. Allen Hurns got some palying time and caught a couple of passes. Cole started but missed his chance to make a statement when he dropped the deep ball from Henne in the second quarter. Shane Wynn was the top performer with a team-high 3 catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. He also looked good returning kicks. He's small, at just 5'6", but the Jaguars are going to have a tough time sayign goodbye to him when the cuts are made.
4. The Ben Franklin Test
Franklin is famously quoted as saying during the second Continental Congress, "We must, indeed, all hang together, or assuredly, we shall all hang separately."
Whether Franklin really said this is or not is beside the point. The Jaguars are experiencing their first taste of true adversity. How will they handle it? With all of the questions inside and outside of the locker room about the quarterback situation and the first strong evidence that the Jaguars aren't where they expected to be at this point in the preseason, will they hang together? The NFL's version of the gallows is a team that is eliminated by mid-season. Nobody wants to play in November and December with nothing on the line. Jaguars fans have been subjected to that truth for far too long. Can the team begin to overcome the adversity and be a competitive team in 2017?
While there was no clear dissent seen on the field, the Jaguars performance -- especially in the first quarter, left much to be desired. Maybe it isn't about team chemistry so much as about team talent and preparation.