The Jacksonville Jaguars recorded their first win of the preseason against the New Orleans Saints, securing a 24-20 victory on the road.
After a 43-yard reception from Trevor Pena, rookie undrafted running back J'Mari Taylor scored a two-yard go-ahead touchdown with 4:55 remaining to put the Jaguars ahead in the game.
It came after the team found itself in a 14-point hole going into halftime as the offense was stagnant and the defense gave up several explosive plays. But the Jaguars responded out of the half with backup quarterback Carter Bradley leading a 10 play, 79-yard scoring drive to make it a one-score contest.
Game recap: Jaguars vs Saints updates from NFL preseason in New Orleans
The game still came down to the final moments as the Saints marched down the field and had a final play attempt from the 2-yard line. However, second-year defensive back Jabbar Muhammad logged a pass break up and the Jaguars start the preseason off in the win column.
J’Mari Taylor gets majority of carries as Jaguars get their running game going
With running backs Bhayshul Tuten, Chris Rodriguez and LeQuint Allen resting for the game, rookie running back J’Mari Taylor ended up being the workhorse for Jacksonville’s offense.
The first-year back rushed for 78 yards on 22 carries, making the most of his game reps to put good plays on film. He led all ball carriers for the game in attempts and yardage as the Jaguars fed him a large workload in the preseason opener.
Veteran back DeeJay Dallas added 26 yards, but Saturday was the Taylor show. Taylor put together several good runs in practice with Jacksonville’s reserves last week during training camp and clearly took that momentum into the game.
He has set himself up well with a foundation to build on for the remainder of training camp. With two more games remaining in the preseason, there’s still a path for Taylor to make the roster ahead of the veteran running backs that are ahead of him currently.
He’ll be a player to watch as the team tries to trim their roster down to 53 ahead of the cutdown deadline.
Quarterbacks struggled as Jaguars' offense was stagnant to start
The Jaguars got a look at life without Trevor Lawrence during the preseason game. It was bleak.
Nick Mullens started the game and did not look good in limited reps, throwing an interception in the red zone and only completing 3-of-7 passes for 33 yards. Carter Bradley didn’t fare much better in the first half, completing 3-of-8 passes for 36 yards with an interception in the first half.
Bradley and Mullens forced passes after eyeing down wide receivers, which led to turnovers. They also showed an inability to extend plays as the pocket collapsed around them.
Things were better in the second half as Bradley was able to put together a scoring drive to open the third quarter. Aguilar's deep shot set up the go-ahead touchdown.
Still, it was a concerning sight as the team continues to work through training camp and establish solid play behind Lawrence.
Several defensive players make impact plays in preseason contest
The Jaguars had a splash play late in the first quarter when Yasir Abdullah and rookie Wesley Williams forced a fumble on backup quarterback Spencer Rattler. Second-year defensive end BJ Green hustled to recover the ball to give the Jaguars good field position.
It’s a continuation of a standout training camp for Green, who has flown around the practice fields of the Miller Electric Center since late July.
Rookie Jalen Huskey flashed several times throughout the contest, recording a touchdown-saving tackle on the opening kickoff and a pass breakup during the contest. The safety found himself around the ball often in his reps and finished with four tackles.
Ruke Orhorhoro teamed up with Danny Striggow to log a sack against the Saints. A good sign for the defensive lineman as he enters his first season with the Jaguars.
Rookie Albert Regis logged a deep sack in the second half, bursting through the offensive line and dragging down the quarterback.
Jabbar Muhammad struggled in coverage throughout the game, but he had the game-sealing pass break up on the final play of regulation.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars vs. Saints takeaways: Rookie RB, defense make big plays in win