Jacksonville Jaguars Preseason Week 2 Pre-Game

By: Noah Trombley

The Jaguars will continue preseason play with a matchup on Monday night (August 23rd, 2021) against the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. There was a lot of change already for this Jaguars team as there already have been some significant cuts from the team.The biggest, of course, being former Quarterback turned Tight end, Tim Tebow. The former Florida Gator played in 16 snaps last week and didn’t see many targets or memorable plays. The most memorable moments came when first, Tebow was wide open in the middle of the field, and receiver Tavon Austin undercut the route and caught the ball instead.

Tebow then attempted a block on the run to his side but completely whiffed and ended up blocking nobody. The Tebow experiment then ended on Tuesday when the Jaguars officially released him. This release felt inevitable after that game on Monday. The only reason I thought maybe the Jaguars would keep Tebow on the roster would be to use him as a pr person and keep some fans interested in the Jaguars during the season, but it doesn’t even make it that far.

Now onto the game coming up. The biggest reason to watch this game on Monday night is to see rookie QB Trevor Lawrence play for the first time in the Superdome. This is one of the most challenging places to play for any NFL player, even during the preseason, as the dome sound can become deafening. Lawrence will have to work on the chemistry with his team for the few snaps he has to call audibles and changes to certain plays. This will be a massive test for the young rookie as the noise has gotten even the best of Quarterbacks over the years.

The last thing to watch is who gets the majority of snaps at the running back position. There is a battle brewing between last year’s breakout star James Robinson and rookie Travis Etienne. Robinson had over 1000 yards rushing last season, but that somehow has not secured his spot as the number one running back in Jacksonville, as most believe Etienne will get the nod. Robinson may look to make a statement in this game to try and keep his spot as the Jaguars number one rushing option in the backfield.