Jaguars OLB Travor Walker’s impact vs. Raiders, other observations

NFL fans got their first taste of football when the Jacksonville Jaguars faced off against the Las Vegas Raiders in the Hall-of-Fame game. Although the contest was temporarily delayed due to severe weather, it ultimately went as planned.

The Jaguars lost 27-11. They will have their work cut out for them in the next few days. They’re scheduled to take on the Cleveland Brown on August 12th. For the time being, here are a few observations from the loss versus the Raiders.

4. Jaguars vs Raiders: Don’t put too much stock on the loss

Sure, the Jags would have surely preferred to come out of the game with a win but the truth is that it was always going to be hard for them to play at a high level. After all, they had only two padded practice before the game. Moreover, most of their projected starters didn’t suit up. For example, third-string quarterback Jake Luton got the starting nod with Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Beathard sitting this one out.

Something similar happened at running back. Snoop Conner and Mekhi Sargent had four and five carries, respectively. It simply didn’t make sense to expose Travis Etienne to injury while James Robison is still recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered late in the 2021 season.

The truth is that the Jaguars still have three preseason games left in their schedule and are still more than a month away from their regular-season debut. They have ample time to evaluate the roster and work on whatever issues they had against the Raiders.