The Buccaneers and Jaguars rested their starters on Friday night at EverBank Stadium for the conclusion of the preseason slate and Tampa Bay hit a lull offensively, falling to the home team, 19-0. The Bucs finished the preseason with a 2-1 record as players made their final case before roster cutdowns. The game marked Tampa Bay's first shutout loss in the preseason since a 30-0 decision against Indianapolis in 1989.
"Not good enough," said Head Coach Todd Bowles of the Bucs' outing in Jacksonville. "Anytime you get shut out, you know. I didn't think we protected the quarterback enough. We couldn't run the ball. We gave up a special teams touchdown. The defense fought; they made some mistakes but at least they fought. I thought two out of the three phases didn't show up."
Offensive Overview
Undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels, who constructed three methodical scoring drives against the Chiefs in Preseason Week Two, started the exhibition showdown and played into the third quarter. Daniels was unable to generate momentum using his legs to extend plays or generate plays downfield. The Bucs only had 70 yards of total offense through much of the third frame and did not get a single first down in the second half. Daniels was sacked three times and completed eight of 15 passes for 57 yards before being replaced by veteran Jake Browning late in the third period.Browning and Connor Bazelak finished out the clash, with Browning completing two of four passes for two yards.
Defensive Outlook
Tampa Bay's defense put the clamps on Jacksonville early, with the only points coming on a 61-yard field goal by Cam Little in the first half. After recording 1.5 sacks against the Chiefs last Saturday, veteran Anthony Nelson continued the stellar trend, recording a sack on Nick Mullens in the first frame. Overall, Jacksonville finished with 249 net yards of offense in contrast to the Bucs' 87. The Jaguars produced a one-yard touchdown run by DeeJay Dallas in the third quarter and gained the momentum with Michael Wortham's 67-yard punt return for a touchdown in the final period. Outside linebacker Jack Pyburn, an undrafted rookie vying for one of the final roster spots, recorded two sacks in the fourth quarter (four in the preseason) and nabbed a tackle for loss and pass breakup in his outstanding performance inside EverBank Stadium.
