Jacksonville Jaguars vs Saints: 5 things to keep an eye on

The Jacksonville Jaguars are playing Monday Night Football in 2021… in the preseason. It would’ve been better if the Jags had gotten one in the regular season but it will still be in primetime and that accounts for something, right?

The Jaguars will be flying to Louisiana to take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 of the preseason. Even though this game won’t count in the standings, there are several reasons why this is an important matchup for this young Jacksonville team. Here are five things to watch for on.

How many series will quarterback Trevor Lawrence play versus the Saints?

Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence will probably start, according to Jaguars offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. Last week, it didn’t matter that Gardner Minshew got a significant amount of first-team reps, the number one overall pick in this year’s draft still got the starting nod. Will this week be any different?

Head coach Urban Meyer said he would meet with the staff on Saturday to make a decision. All signs point towards Lawrence starting but how many series will he play? He would surely benefit from getting plenty of work and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him play at least one full quarter. On the other hand, the full first half may be too much, so it’s up to the Jags’ coaching staff to find the right balance.

If Lawrence has a good outing against the Saints, it will be difficult for the Jaguars to justify extending the “quarterback competition”.