By Mike Bonts, Florida Sports Wire
NEW ORLEANS – The Jaguars (0-1-1) played their starters on offense and defense while the Saints rested their defensive starters which allowed Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence to have a strong outing in limited reps (eight of 10 for 76 yards with a touchdown) in a 17-17 tie against New Orleans.
“You want to win the game, obviously, but I thought that the team responded. They responded in the right way for the majority of the game, in terms of coming out, starting fast,” said Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen. “Defensively, I thought they played really well throughout until obviously, the end when we put them in a tough spot there. I was pleased with the way that we ran the football early on with the guys that we expect, obviously, to be contributing at a high level for us consistently. And I thought Trevor [Lawrence],
minus, obviously, the fumble, was pretty sharp.”
Lawrence led long marches on both his possessions Sunday.
“This game was another step in the right direction for Trevor. You saw him clicking through progressions again and getting to his third and fourth reads a few times. I thought we protected him really well up front, which allows a quarterback to do those things,” added Coen. “Also, when you run the ball effectively, it also takes some pressure off the quarterback. So, I was pleased with his outing tonight.”
A 3-yard run for Bhayshul Tuten on third-and-goal, gave the Jaguars a 14-3 lead with 3:21 left in the half.
“I was pleased with the way that we’re coming off the ball up front, I know it wasn’t their starting defense playing, but we did move the ball the way you would expect them to against anybody’s second unit, but Tank [Bigsby] and [Travis] Etienne [Jr.] both had some really nice moments. So did [Bhayshul Tuten] and LeQuint [Allen Jr.]. I thought all four of those guys actually had some really nice moments:” Coen said.
The half concluded with a 53-yard field goal attempt for Jacksonville’s Cam Little. The Jaguars led the Saints 17-3 at the break.
The 17-17 tie with the Jaguars was the first preseason OR regular season tie for New Orleans since 1972, when Archie Manning was quarterbacking the Saints.
Amid the remaining questions looming for the New Orleans Saints this preseason, one partly seems to have an answer: Coach Kellen Moore has an idea how his young quarterbacks could react after a bout of adversity.
On Sunday in the Caesars Superdome, second-year pro Spencer Rattler followed a red-zone interception with a nine-play touchdown drive – culminating with his 20-yard pass to Dante Pettis – and two-point conversion run that pulled the Saints into a 17-17 final score.
“It was a fun one,” Rattler said. “I thought we could have finished a little better in the red zone. Throughout the second half we shot ourselves in the foot, should have had multiple scores, I thought. I thought we moved the ball well, receivers stepped up and made big plays.”
Rattler completed 18 of 24 passes for 199 yards and was five of six for 76 yards on the tying 82-yard drive, including a 16-yard pass to Mason Tipton on fourth-and-2. On his last throw of the game he connected with Pettis, who beat single coverage as Rattler’s pass led him toward the left sideline past a diving defender, before Pettis turned up field and scored with 21 seconds left.
“The final flurry helped the Saints balance the scale statistically: They were outgained by two yards (337-335) and outrushed by nine (96-87); posted 18 first downs to Jacksonville’s 21; and won the time of possession battle (31:12-28:48).
Biggest, though, was a 3-1 advantage in turnovers. Rookie defensive tackle Vernon Broughton recovered a first-quarter fumble in the red zone to keep points off the board, linebacker Jaylan Ford had a third-quarter interception in the red zone to keep points off the board and with Jacksonville looking to inch closer after reaching the Saints’ 42 following Rattler’s touchdown pass, Jonas Sanker intercepted Seth Henigan’s pass attempt and returned it 40 yards to Jacksonville’s 24 as time expired.
GAME PHOTO COURTESY NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
