Jaguars @ Lions
Final Score: Jaguars 25, Lions 7
Writer: Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL on Twitter)
I have to be honest – This game was played on Saturday afternoon but I didn’t watch it until Sunday evening. Before I even turned it on I looked at the box score and became immediately disappointed at the cast of characters who played in this game. Tank Bigsby was the only guy I was even remotely interested in watching, and knowing I had about two hours of watching these guys play was, honestly, pretty depressing. But, we stick to our guns and watch every snap here at QBL, and I’m a man of the people so I did what I had to do for all of you. You’re welcome.
One note I found interesting – Kalif Raymond signed a two year extension in the offseason to stay with Detroit. During the fourth quarter, the broadcast showed a clip from a press conference earlier in the week where Raymond talked about how he’s competing with Amon-Ra St. Brown after practice because of how much extra time St. Brown puts in every week. As a result, he also is putting in a ton of extra time with the Jugs machine after practice. Raymond could see some extra work in the first six weeks of the season with Jameson Williams suspended, so this could be an interesting wrinkle if you’re looking for a long shot to return some value in deep leagues early this season.
Two Up
- Tank Bigsby – Passed the eye test in a big way. Despite playing against lessened competition, I came away a true believer in his talent. Best player on the field in this game.
- Nathan Rourke – Fighting for the backup QB job, he looked pretty good. Liked what I saw
Two Down
- Teddy Bridgewater – Wearing the #50 behind center just looks wrong. It’s clearly bringing down his play.
- The viewers – This one was a tough watch. Not a lot of good football on the offensive side for either team
Jacksonville Jaguars
| Preseason Week 1 |
Quarterback
C.J. Beathard: 12/20, 138 yards, TD, INT, 2 sacks | 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards
Notes
- 15 yard scramble on 3rd down negated by a hold
- Lofted a throw to the end zone, had a receiver but defender made a great play to knock it away
- INT bobbled before picked by Stephen Gilmore
- Had his arm hit as he threw, ball popped up in the air, he caught it and turned it into a four yard gain
Nathan Rourke: 10/12, 121 yards, sack | 6 carries, 14 yards
Rourke came from the CFL and I liked what I saw. He’s more athletic than Beathard is and he wasn’t afraid to stick his nose in a pile or get in the way of a defender on an outside run. Made some nice throws too.
Notes
- Under heavy pressure, avoided two sacks, scrambled to complete a pass.
- Nice throw downfield to an open receiver with a defender in his face
- Has a tell – drags his foot on a handoff, doesn’t drag on play-action
- Scrambled, had a lane for a TD but dragged down by a defender
- Nice ball to Cooks downfield, couldn’t get his feet in bounds. Would have been a score
Running Back
Tank Bigsby: 13 carries, 70 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, -2 yards
I’d only seen highlights of Bigsby coming into this game and boy was he impressive. He made it look effortless against Detroit’s 2nd team defense, easily avoiding defenders and running downfield at full speed. I’m not sure what his fantasy role will end up being in 2023, but I’m very interested in dynasty leagues based solely on how he looked in this game. He just has the look of a future stud NFL RB.
Every touch Tank Bigsby got in the Jaguars 2nd preseason game. #DUUUVAL #FantasyFootball pic.twitter.com/H3Xarii2xG
— ImBearingDown (@ImBearingDown) August 19, 2023
Notes
- 3rd and long, 13 yard carry. Bounced it outside, made a couple of defenders miss. Runs hard. Nice run
- #4 looks awesome on him
- Had a really nice run negated by a hold on a WR. Shifty, quick feet. Impressive.
D’Ernest Johnson: 6 carries, 36 yards, 2 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 7 yards
Notes
- Unreal one-handed catch on the goal line that was down by his shoelaces
- Punched it into the end zone on the next play
- Looks quick.
- Threw a nice block to give Rourke some time on 3rd and 10, converted as a result. Led to his 2nd TD of the day on the next play
Snoop Conner: 5 carries, 18 yards
JaMycal Hasty: 4 carries, 8 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 4 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tim Jones: 2 targets, 1 reception, 48 yards
Jones’ lone reception was early in the 1st quarter and he was perfectly covered by the corner but he made a great catch over the defender’s shoulder.
Elijah Cooks: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 69 yards
Had a couple of impressive catches, including one where he went up to get it with a defender in his face. Caught one over the middle as well and nearly outran a defender to take it to the house. His only incompletion was on a nice ball to the sideline but he couldn’t keep his feet in bounds. Would have been a TD if he could.
Parker Washington: 2 targets, 1 reception, 15 yards, TD
TD came on an out route against a linebacker at the end of the 1st half. Wasn’t really a fair fight. He looks much quicker on the turf in Detroit than he ever did on the grass at Penn State.
Notes
- Looks like he could be a guy in the return game. Really quick, shifty.
- Fumbled a sliding attempt to field a punt, Jaguars recovered though. Questionable decision.
Brenton Strange: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 23 yards
Detroit Lions
| Preseason Week 1 |
Quarterback
Teddy Bridgewater: 5/11, 34 yards, sack, fumble (lost) | 1 carry, -8 yards
Teddy Twogloves’ time has come and gone, and he no longer has the look of a capable starting QB in this league.
Notes
- Sacked on first play, free rusher
- Evaded pressure, threw low to receiver downfield
- 3rd and 4, had an open receiver but threw behind him. Should have been a 1st down
- Fumble wasn’t really his fault – missed block up front, free rusher, tackled Teddy from behind as he was handing the ball off
Nate Sudfeld: 9/18, 80 yards, TD, INT, sack | 1 carry, -1 yard
Notes
- Airmailed a throw with under 50 seconds to go in the 1st half, easy pick returned back to the red zone by Jacksonville
Running Back
Craig Reynolds: 8 carries, 13 yards | 6 targets, 4 receptions, 29 yards
Reynolds got the first crack at RB snaps in this one. Almost all of his targets were dump-offs from Bridgewater. Reynolds is shifty and has quick feet but struggled to do much of anything running behind the 2nd string O-Line in this game.
Jermar Jefferson: 6 carries, 16 yards
Notes
- Shook a defender in the backfield, then shook another one, fell forward for four yards.
- Designed short pass out of the backfield on 3rd and short, good tackle by the LB kept him behind the line to gain
- Two nice runs in a row got them down to the one yard line
Benny Snell: 3 carries, 15 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Chase Cota: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 9 yards, TD
Cota looked good last week and has a shot to make this team. Tough, physical player who isn’t afraid to throw his body around. Seems like exactly the type of guy Campbell wants.
Notes
- Nice punt return
- Impressive fingertip catch on the sideline but couldn’t get both feet down in bounds
- Left wide open by the LB on his TD. Easy peasy.
Dylan Drummond: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 29 yards
James Mitchell: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards
What I said about Cota applies to Mitchell as well. He’s a big guy and threw a couple nice blocks in the run game.
Notes
- Went down to make a nice catch in traffic
Antoine Green: 1 target, 1 reception, 18 yards
Caught an 8 yard out route, dove to the ground, two defenders both walked by without touching him. Got back up and earned another 10 yards. Heads up play.