The Jaguars Beat The Vikings: What We Learned From Saturday
By David Levin
The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Minnesota Vikings 14-10 on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Bank Field in the second preseason game for both teams.
It may not have been pretty, but the Jacksonville Jaguars eeked out a 14-10 come from behind win over the Minnesota Vikings 14-10 on Saturday afternoon from U.S. Bank Stadium. While the defense for both teams appears to be ahead of their offensive counterparts, the penalties called on Saturday were an issue.
It either means both teams must do a better job of playing under control or the referees for the contest need to work on their interpretation of the rules.
Here are a few other things we learned about the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Yannick Ngakoue is a Beast
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Yannick Ngakoue was in mid-season form on Saturday, applying pressure on the quarterback, getting a sack and showing up all over the field in the first half.
I this before, but it bears repeating – Ngakoue should lead the Jaguars in sacks this season and could challenge for Defensive Player of the Year honors. The third-year defensive end is one of the best pass rushers in the game.
Ngakoue may have gotten a penalty for his sack celebration, but his quickness off the snap is a reason the Jaguars pass rush could be better in 2018.
That’s scary.
T.J. Yeldon is the Backup
T.J. Yeldon looked as good as he has looked since the seventh game of the season last year against Indianapolis. While I have pushed for Corey Grant to become the second running back in this offense behind Leonard Fournette, the former Alabama tailback has solidified his place on the depth chart.
Yeldon’s ability to run with the back and catch the ball out of the backfield makes him a valuable commodity in Nathaniel Hackett’s game plan.
Ronnie Harrison is Going to be a Star
Ronnie Harrison, a rookie from Alabama, started at safety in place of Tashaun Gipson and led the Jaguars with five tackles. It may have been a sign of things to come.
While Gipson will start this season, there is no reason to believe the rookie could not step in and the secondary miss a beat.
It may have been a surprise decision to give Harrison that many reps, but he performed well and should be a starter next season.
Penalties Kill
When your starters commit penalty after penalty, you have to ask if it was because of the way they played or the way the officials called the game.
Let’s call this a push and say it was a little of both.
The Jaguars must play within themselves and avoid the drive-killing call or the one that gives their opponent better field position.
Log Jam in the Return Game
DJ Chark, Dede Westbrook, Jaydon Mickens and Rashad Greene all handles punt return duties on Saturday. Each one staked their own claim to the starting job.
There will be some tough decisions to make at the end of the preseason. If big plays help you make a football team, then Greene’s return at the end of the game that helped set up the game-winning touchdown should place him at the head of the pack.
The next two weeks could be the most interesting with this position.