The Jacksonville Jaguars closed out the preseason on the road with a 6-14 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Before we discuss what’s next for the Jaguars, let’s open up the notebook and take a look at our quick takeaways from what took place in Saturday’s game.
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Biggest play
In a game where the offense struggled to move the ball regularly, the biggest play goes to kicker Cam Little. No, he didn’t make a 70-yarder tonight, but he did knock through a 59-yard field goal with ease.
Standout player: LB Jack Kiser
Another day, another strong showing from Kiser. According to PFF’s early tracking data, Kiser recorded three pressures as a blitzer, including a sack, while coming away with four total tackles. He allowed one reception on one target but held the pass catcher to just six yards. Kiser is going to be a key special teams contributor, but is earning himself a backup role on defense with his play.
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Players who made a strong roster push
While the third preseason game can get lost in the shuffle, it’s the final opportunity for many players to make a last roster or practice squad push. In Saturday’s game, there were four Jaguars players, in particular, who did just that.
Defensive ends Danny Striggow and BJ Green each recorded a sack and a pressure. Green also had two run stops, while Striggow had one.
Wide receiver Austin Trammell showcased his versatility, leading the team with 21 receiving yards, while also having two carries in the game. We’ve seen Trammell this preseason as a return man and regularly lining up both in the slot and out wide–an important element of playing receiver in Liam Coen’s offense.
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Lastly, tight end Quintin Morris had a good performance. He had three receptions for 18 yards and graded out well as a blocker, which has been his bread-and-butter over his career.
Reason for optimism
The Jaguars’ third-string defense made things very difficult for the Dolphins’ starting offense.
On Miami’s first two offensive possessions, the Jaguars forced a pair of three-and-outs with two sacks. Miami totaled just six yards on those possessions. It wasn’t until a few minutes into the second quarter that Miami was able to score. The Jaguars also totaled six sacks on the night.
This level of play is a credit to the players, first and foremost, but it’s a credit to Anthony Campanile’s defensive scheme as well for putting these players in a position to make the plays that they did.
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Reason for concern
Look, it’s Week 3 of the preseason with third and fourth-string players dominating the playing time. Nothing is going to reach the concern or panic button level.
However, I am going to mention the penalties. The Jaguars were flagged eight times in this game for 60 yards.
It wasn’t only on Saturday that this was an issue but it has been for much of the summer, which makes one wonder if it will linger into the regular season. As we know, being heavily penalized makes things all the more challenging on both sides of the ball.
Other quick notes
– We are going to see a lot more blitzing this season from the Jaguars’ defense under Anthony Campanile.
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– Austin Johnson was inactive, while Christian Braswell didn’t play any snaps in this game. Perhaps a sign that both will be on the final roster?
– Ja’Quinden Jackson has impressed this summer at running back and did again versus Miami. It’s a crowded running back room, so I imagine the Jaguars will hope to get him to the practice squad.
– Not helping the passing game was the pressure that the Jaguars’ quarterbacks were under. Miami generated three sacks and eight quarterback hits in this game.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars vs. Dolphins: 5 quick takeaways from preseason performance