Raiders 27, Jaguars 11: Travon Walker Flashes in Hall of Fame Game
The Jacksonville Jaguars struggled to get much going in their preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders, dropping the Hall of Fame game 27-11 after a storm delay.
The Jaguars sat 21 players entering the game, including a projected 15 starters. Among the top names not playing for the Jaguars were quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne, each of the Jaguars' top three receivers in Christian Kirk, Marvin Jones and Zay Jones, along with three starting offensive lineman, two starting defensive linemen, both starting linebackers and half of the starting secondary.
With the Jaguars entering the game with mostly backups, there were a few starters and key players who managed to get snaps, including No. 1 pick Travon Walker, defensive linemen DaVon Hamilton and Roy Robertson-Harris, cornerback Tyson Campbell, safety Rayshawn Jenkins, right tackle Walker Little, center Luke Fortner and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell.
The Jaguars tasked their second- and third-team units with entering Canon with the goal of picking up a win to start the preseason. This included third-year quarterback Jake Luton, who started in place of Lawrence and inactive quarterback C.J. Beathard.
Jacksonville didn't score any points until the final moments of the third-quarter, however, with penalties and turnovers hamstringing the Luton-led unit.
Luton finished the game 10-of-17 for 94 yards (5.5 yards per attempt) as he got the entire first-half on the field for the Jaguars. He nearly led the Jaguars on one scoring drive before a Will Richardson Jr. holding penalty knocked the Jaguars back, while other plays such as a Marvin Hall fumble kept the offense from lifting off.
The Jaguars' closest chance at actually scoring in the first-half came on a 60-yard Ryan Santoso field goal attempt, with Santoso missing wide right despite having the distance to make the long field goal attempt.
The Jaguars converted just four first downs in the first half, with each coming through the air. The Jaguars were outgained 234-106 in the first-half, averaging just 4.8 yards per play to Las Vegas' 5.3 while the Raiders ran 22 more plays and gained 13 more first downs.
While the Jaguars' offense struggled in a big way, their pass-rush did show up. The Jaguars recorded five sacks, including three in the first-half from a pair of defenders who will play big roles in 2022 in Walker and Arden Key.
Walker managed to beat left tackle Brandon Parker for a quarterback hit on the very first play of the game, though he was flagged for an odd roughing the passer penalty. Walker managed to flash throughout the contest, though, eventually beating Parker for a sack of Jarrett Stidham.
Key, meanwhile, got two sacks off stunts after lining up inside for the Jaguars, with Walker setting up his first sack. The Jaguars' defense wasn't great outside of its pass-rush, though, allowing field goals on the first two drives before misplays by the linebacker group led to a eight-yard Ameer Abdullah touchdown.
The Jaguars' defense allowed 95 yards on 21 carries (4.52 yards per carry) in the first-half, something that will likely be a sticking point with head coach Doug Pederson after the Jaguars have struggled to stop the run at times in camp.
The Jaguars did get some life in the second-half as Elliott Fry made a 42-yard field goal to get them on the board. Willie Johnson returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown, too, before a holding penalty wiped it off the board.
Jacksonville's lone touchdown of the contest was a five-yard Kyle Sloter pass to running back Nathan Cottrell, with Cottrell beating a linebacker's coverage and finishing with a strong catch in the end-zone before converting for two points with a rush up the middle.
Jacksonville will host the Cleveland Browns at TIAA Bank Field next Friday, a game that will likely see a few more starters play than tonight did. The Jaguars will resume training camp practices on Sunday morning.
Stats of the game
Here are the most interesting stats of the game, via Jaguar Report's lead statistician Ryan Michael.
- It’s been 578 days since someone not named Trevor Lawrence started at quarterback (preseason-regular season) for the Jacksonville Jaguars (1/3/21-8/2/22).
- Travon Walker got his hands on the quarterback on his first snap (roughing the passer) and notched 1 sack.
- Kyle Slotter’s final pass of the game was a 5-yard touchdown pass.
- Jags quarterbacks combined to go 23 of 42 (54.8%) for 214 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs and 1 sack.
- Jags QBs averaged 5.3 YPA (yards-per-attempt). Ryan Leaf’s career average was 5.6.
- Luke Farrell led Jacksonville in receptions (3) and receiving yards (43). He had 3 receptions off 4 targets (75.0%).
- Chapelle Russell led Jacksonville with 7 solo tackles.
