(Photo by Nancy DeLander Beecher)
By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire
Jacksonville’s 31-25 loss to the Steelers should get a mixed review.
There wasn’t an overload to the left or the right. It was somewhere in the middle.
Who knows? We may have gotten a preview on how this season may look. They could be hovering around the .500 mark, which would be an improvement from last season. And it wouldn’t be a bad beginning for new head coach Liam Coen.
Never mind the final score and the early predictions. This game was about Coen and Trevor Lawrence.
Coen was brought here to revitalize the franchise and unlock anything we still supposedly haven’t seen from Lawrence.
The fifth-year quarterback appears to be on the clock this season,and he looked good in his first showing. Lawrence was crisp and accurate, completing six of seven passes for 43 yards. His lone miss was a downfield toss to Brian Thomas Jr. The Jags offensive did a good job at keeping the Steelers off Lawrence.
Anticipated 60-minute man Travis Hunter – probably not that many minutes playing both ways – caught two passes and missed an open-field tackle. Welcome to the NFL.
Tank Bigsby, who may finally emerge as the Jags’ lead back this season, ran well as did rookie Brayshul Tuten, which is a good sign.
Ex-49 quarterback Nick Mullens was sharp with his 11-for-18 night for 89 yards, and he nicely threaded a ball to Trenton Irwin for a score. Rookie Seth Henigan also quietly had a good game, completing 11 of 14 for 78 yards.
An Ex-Bengal, Irwin (four catches for 48 yards) may have a shot at a roster spot, but the Jags’ receiver room is already crowded. Leftover Parker Washington and newcomer Damayi Brown will see more time.
One reassuring sign was kicker Cam Little, who boomed a 70-yard field goal right before the half. Little was arguably the biggest surprise of last season, converting 27 of 29 attempts and all 27 extra points.
The bad?
The Jags were flagged for eight penalties – that’s what the league-leading Jets had per game last year – two of them that stalled a first-half drive, and they also dropped four passes.
They also had problems with their pass rush (two sacks, five quarterback hits), and their pass coverage over the middle of the field.
Those both have been lingering issues that need to be corrected.
Overall, it was a slight notch above mediocre. However, you couldn’t expect much from an opening preseason game in which you could have left at the end of the first quarter, wanting to see just the starters. Across most of the league, that was the prevailing feeling (unless you were a Giants’ fan)
We may get a longer look at the starters when the Jaguars travel to New Orleans this week for a Sunday 1 p.m. kickoff. Like with Irwin, there will be plenty of roster spots at stake.
Still, for the next two weeks, the spotlight will be on Coen and Lawrence, both of whom will dictate the season.
