Next up on the preseason tour, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-7 at EverBank Stadium on Saturday evening. In an exhibition in North Florida with a heat index of 89, the Bucs had success on early downs in the run game and Kyle Trask threw a touchdown pass to Cody Thompson on a scramble that evened the score. Throughout the stretch of the game, Tampa Bay's offense stalled and struggled to sustain drives, finishing with 207 total yards. On the defensive side of the ball for the Bucs, the unit allowed 339 yards of total offense and the Jaguars' converted on nine of 17 third-down attempts. Penalties became a deciding factor in the ballgame, along with time of possession. Jacksonville held a 38:15-to-21:45 advantage over Tampa Bay, which shifted the momentum to the home team and wore out the Bucs' defense as they struggled to get off the field in pivotal situations.
The highlight of the night for Tampa Bay became the offensive back-and-forth sequence in the second quarter, the run game strides and the defense's unrelenting pass rush. Here are key breakdowns from the 20-7 decision on Saturday:
Offensive Rundown
In the second quarter, Mac Jones engineered a 17-play, 10-minute drive for the opening score, culminating in Jones' 25-yard touchdown pass to Parker Washington on third-and-17. A lapse in coverage led to a 7-0 lead for the Jaguars, but the Bucs quickly responded. Kyle Trask led a 68-yard touchdown drive that took just 4:43 off the clock, sparked by a Sean Tucker run of 21 yards. Early in the drive, a 12-yard gain by Thompson off a fly sweep moved the chains, as did another explosive play by Tucker. He jumped to the backside off an outside zone cut, exposing the Jaguars' defense. That play set up the score to Thompson, tying the game at seven.
Trask finished the matchup with 12 completions on 19 attempts for 108 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 95.9 passer rating. He re-entered the game in the fourth quarter after John Wolford exited the game with a ribs injury. Overall, Wolford was seven-of-14 for 52 yards and was frequently pressured throughout the duration of the second half.
The Bucs' rushing game, which became an emphasis point in Liam Coen's retooled offense, was a bright spot for the club once again. The stat sheet – 76 yards on 16 carries – may not 'wow,' but the cutback lanes were noticeable. The team averaged 4.8 yards per tote and rookie Bucky Irving put on a show early on. Irving's first run of the night led to a gain of six as he quickly worked downhill and hit the hole. The next play, the Jags' stacked their front and Irving still managed to pick up a first with a five-yard gain. Whether spinning for additional yardage or making a cut off of double teams in duo by forcing the linebackers to flow and set the edge, Irving made an impact on the ground. Tampa Bay was able to dictate the offensive terms with early-down run effectiveness, which opened up the play-action game. In addition, Tucker gained 32 yards on four totes.
"I absolutely love our run game," said Elijah Klein. "I think that our system that has been put in by Coach Coen is phenomenal and I really enjoy being a part of it."
Pass Rush Prowess
Against the Jaguars, the Bucs tallied five sacks, six tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits, spearheaded by a three-sack outing for outside linebacker Jose Ramirez. Tampa Bay's 5.0 sacks are tied for the most in a single preseason game since TruMedia began tracking preseason stats in 2017.
On the Jaguars' second offensive possession, Ramirez nabbed two knockdowns. The first put Jacksonville into a quick third-and-15 hole but Mac Jones had time to find Devin Duvernay to keep the drive alive. Off a five-man pressure, Ramirez shot off the line, winning his one-on-one to get to the quarterback. The second sack for Ramirez, who touched Jones down after the quarterback tripped, moved the ball back to the 25-yard-line and made it third-and-long for Jacksonville. Then late in the third quarter, Ramirez and company struck again. Lwal Uguak disrupted the Jaguars' first play for a sack of nine yards and two plays later, Ramirez chased down CJ Beathard for a sack at the Jacksonville four (loss of 17), bringing on the fourth quarter. Ramirez used a lethal speed-to-power conversion to set up the offensive tackle, then worked a spin maneuver off of it to bypass the opposition.
