Jaguars Fall 23-13 To Browns in Preseason Opener As Lawrence Makes NFL Debut
The Jacksonville Jaguars 2021 season began in much the same way the 2020 season ended; sputtering to a loss that was punctuated by good moments, yet bracketed by inadequate play. The club lost 23-6 to the Cleveland Browns in front of the best crowd TIAA Bank Field has seen since 2019, with 57,508 tickets distributed. The game won’t count in the record books or necessarily change much for the 2021 Jaguars team, but it was still a night that included Trevor Lawrence in a Jags jersey, as well as Shaquill Griffin, Marvin Jones and even Tim Tebow to name a few.
It also included a long list of areas on which the Jaguars can improve.
Preseason games aren’t so much about the final score as they are the individual moments, so let’s break down those—along with how the starters performed—from the Jaguars first time on the field this season.
Starters Stay In For First Quarter
Trevor Lawrence’s debut kicked off with fanfare, cheers and then a sack-fumble. He recovered the turnover himself, but the seven yard loss was a “welcome to the NFL” hit to the rookie from former Jaguar, Sheldon Day. The Browns rested the majority of their starters, so after the initial hit, Lawrence was able to move the ball somewhat on the first of his two drives for the evening.
Following the sack, Lawrence (6-9, 71 yards, two sacks) made up yardage with a quick pass to Laviska Shenault for eight yards, then a dart to Marvin Jones Jr. the 10-yard pass was on the numbers and moved the chains.
Running back James Robinson, returning in his starting role, put together back-to-back hard runs that reminded those viewing what made him one of the more special rookie stories of the 2020 season.
But then two short throws from Lawrence stalled the drive. On his second drive, Lawrence was once again sacked, this time for a loss of five yards. The very next play, Lawrence dropped back in the pocket, allowed his veteran receiver Marvin Jones Jr. to break free, and hit him with a rainbow 35-yard pass that was the Jaguars best offensive play of the day.
Both sacks occurred after the rookie passer held on to the ball too long, something Meyer noted at half-time. Both were followed by make-up plays that flashed why Lawrence was such a coveted prospect at No. 1 overall.
“I saw good plays. I saw a guy who made a couple nice plays on third down. I think he held the ball a little bit a couple times, which you would expect out him maybe. Instead of anticipating the throws [he was] holding on to it a little bit but we have a long way to go.”
Shaquill Griffin at corner and Rayshawn Jenkins at safety were a spark on secondary. The duo seemed to always be where the ball was, either single handily making, or assisting on the play. Griffin had back-to-back stops before coming out of the game. Jenkins stayed in a bit longer and new defensive coordinator Joe Cullen had him show looks from staying deep to blitzing in the backfield.
One of the more impressive performances from a Jaguars defensive back on the night though came from last year’s first round pick, CJ Henderson. The corner infamously was absent from the first half of training camp. Earlier this week, Henderson finally returned for three straight days. Meyer has publicly worried that Henderson would have a short amount of time to catch up before the season.
On Saturday night, Henderson didn’t start, but got in on the second drive and reminded coaches that when on the field, he’s one of the most talented players. On a 3rd and seven, the Browns tried to go deep to Donovan Peoples-Jones. Henderson stayed with the receiver step-for-step downfield, getting his right arm in to Peoples-Jones grasp to keep him from making a play, while tracking the ball as well.
On the next drive, Henderson moved in to nickel as the Jags defense looked to hold the Browns in the redzone. On third down, he got in front of the receiver to break up the potential score, and almost coming away with an interception.
K’Lavon Chaisson played late into the first half at end/outside linebacker. He consistently got pressure into the backfield—albeit against the Browns backups—but was a step too slow to ever make a sack.
Overall, presumed starters didn’t play longer than two or three series. But the Browns had only one starter on offense and three starters on defense play the entire night.
Big Plays
The Jaguars didn’t have many big plays in the first half. There was the potential for one, when Chris Claybrooks brought a kickoff return 76-yards to the 15-yard line. But it was called back for holding on Andrew Wingard. That set the tone for the Jaguars offense much of the night, consistently behind the eight-ball and unable to pass the Cleveland 43-yard line in the first half.
“It was a classic, how not to play field position where a guy gives great effort on a kickoff return and knock it out [around] 60 yards and it goes back to the 10 yard line just classic how not to; teachable moment.”
In the second half, when the game becomes more about guys keeping their jobs in this preseason matches, the Jaguars defense floundered while the offense put together two scoring drives. On the first play of the fourth quarter, CJ Beathard hit Tavon Austin on a sweep to the left for the 5-yard touchdown.
The Jags tried for a two-point conversion, that moved Austin to the back of the endzone on a crossing route. The call was correct and the pass was perfectly placed, but Austin dropped the ball.
As the game winded down, the fourth string received ample playing time, courtesy of Meyer. Instead of running the ball to run out the clock, the coach stuck to the passing game, even using all three of his timeouts. Guys fighting for their lives and a spot on the roster was Meyer’s reasoning after the game.
With the clock ticking below a minute, Jake Luton (8-13, 53 yards, one touchdown, one sack) used back-to-back throws to Josh Hammond to get the Jaguars in the redzone. He then darted a short pass to the back of the endzone for tight end Tyler Davis for the late touchdown.
Stat Leaders
Hammond and Austin actually led all receivers in the game. Hammond finished with six receptions for 55 yards, while Austin had four receptions for 52 yards and the touchdown.
Meyer complimented both receivers afterwards saying, “I thought the two’s and three’s went in there and really competed. I loved [Josh] Hammond. Tavon Austin shows up five days ago and is all over the field so I like those guys. They practice like that.”
"I love Hammond (81)," said Meyer. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Marvin Jones Jr. finished with three receptions for 52 yards, and was a part of the play of the game. Lawrence, with tons of time behind the line, waited for Jones to get behind the defensive back. From there, Lawrence hit the 35-yard pass that got the crowd excited for the future.
There was a miscommunication on a third down pass that Lawrence took blame for following the loss. That and the sacks are all moments that can be fixed according to the rookie.
“I feel like first time out there, I felt comfortable, felt poised. Obviously the first play is not kind what you want for the first play, but after that I thought we did a good job. We communicated well up front. They did a really good job with protection. At least one of those sacks was on me for sure. Just holding the ball too long so that's something I'll work on. And just maneuvering in the pocket is something I’ve always, always gotta work on.
“So other than that, I missed missed an easy one to Marvin, little quick out that I wish I would’ve hit; but other than that, I felt good out there. I thought we were seeing it on the same page and there are obviously things to clean up but thought it was a good day.”
Chris Claybrooks led the defense with five tackles, including a tackle for loss. While the pass defense allowed too many gashes along the sidelines, the run defense seemed noticeably improved from the 2020 squad. That was a point of focus according to defensive end Josh Allen.
“First and foremost, our goal every time we go out and take the field is to stop the run. That’s our mindset. We can’t rush the passer, we can’t get pressure, we can’t do what we need to do unless we don’t stop the run. It’s the easiest thing to do in the NFL.”
The Browns didn’t play starting back Nick Chubb, but the regardless, the Jags were able to hold Cleveland to 41 yards on the ground.
Now, the club takes a day off. Players will return to the facility on Monday for film and then coaches will trim the roster, with the NFL’s first cut day on Tuesday. The Jaguars will have an extended period to evaluate who deserves more playing time next, as they won’t face the New Orleans Saints for the second preseason game until the following Monday.
