Jaguars' Starting Offense: Key Takeaways from Preseason Win Against Chiefs
Last Saturday night, the Jacksonville Jaguars secured a 26-13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in their preseason opener. While the starters only saw limited action, they made their presence felt over two drives. The first was a quick, four-play drive capped off by a touchdown, thanks to an excellent kickoff return by Parker Washington. The second drive showed promise but ultimately stalled on a fourth-down sack. Let’s dive into each drive and discuss the highlights and areas for improvement.
Drive #1
The Jaguars started their drive at the Kansas City 20-yard line, lining up in a 12 personnel YY set with two tight ends positioned into the boundary. On the first play, they ran an outside zone toward the boundary but were stopped for no gain. The Chiefs' defense does a great job setting a hard edge, effectively pushing back the left tackle and tight end, which forced Travis Etienne to cut back into the pursuing defenders.
From my observations, the Jaguars often struggle more with zone running schemes—whether inside or outside—compared to gap schemes, and this trend was evident throughout the night for the starting offense.
On the second play of the drive, the Jaguars lined up in the same formation, faking an outside zone run to the field side and bootlegging Trevor Lawrence into the boundary. The play resulted in an easy pitch-and-catch to tight end Luke Farrell. Farrell executed his role perfectly, engaging the defender for a couple of seconds before releasing into the flats. The combination of play-action and Farrell’s block-release caught the Chiefs' linebacker off guard, allowing Farrell to slip through for a solid gain and a first down.
On the Jaguars' next play, they lined up in an 11 personnel Trey set to the field and ran an inside zone into the boundary. This play was particularly challenging for center Luke Morse, who tried to post the backside 2i before working to the linebacker, but the linebacker quickly shot through the open gap before Morse could engage him on the play side. This left the play side interior linebacker for the Chiefs nearly unblocked, resulting in a tackle for loss (TFL) on Travis Etienne. Additionally, left guard Blake Hance was overpowered by Kansas City’s defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, who used a one-arm extension before executing a swim move back inside to join in on the tackle. Once again, the Jaguars struggled with their zone blocking, getting dominated at the point of attack.
However, the Jaguars bounced back nicely on the next play with a touchdown pass to Etienne. They lined up in 11 personnel Trio to the field with Etienne set weak. On the three-receiver side, the Jaguars appeared to run a "nod" concept targeting Evan Engram, with Christian Kirk whipping back underneath, while on the backside, they sent Gabe Davis on a corner route and Etienne on an angle route. Etienne executed the route perfectly, leveraging the linebacker and creating separation on the break for an easy touchdown. Kansas City seemed to be in a variation of quarters, using a bracket concept (maybe cone) into the boundary against the single receiver, leaving the linebacker solely responsible for Etienne
Drive #2
Drive number two begins at the Jaguars' own 31-yard line. They line up in an 11 personnel condensed 2x2 set. To the boundary, the Jaguars run a smash concept with Brian Thomas Jr. (BTJ) and Evan Engram. On the field side, they execute a spot/dig concept with Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis, with Davis running the dig route. Trevor Lawrence reads the Kansas City defense, which is in a Cover 2 shell, and when the corner sinks to cover BTJ on the corner route, Trevor works to the backside and finds Gabe Davis on the dig route. Trevor delivers a precise throw, off-platform, under pressure, and into tight coverage for a significant completion.
To truly understand how good this throw was, you need to watch it from the end zone angle.
On the Jaguars' next play, they lined up in an 11 personnel Trey set to the field. From the blocking scheme, it appears they intended to run "long trap," where the entire right side of the line down blocks, and the backside guard pulls to kick out the defensive end. This play highlights why the Jaguars seem more effective running gap schemes. Although the blocking wasn't executed perfectly, Brandon Scherff managed to down block two Kansas City defenders, effectively saving the play. Etienne looked much more comfortable in this gap scheme, making a sharp cut off the pulling guard for a 5-yard gain on first down.
On the next play, the Jaguars lined up in an 11 personnel 2x2 formation and ran an outside zone into the boundary. The Chiefs showed a pre-snap box with seven defenders, including both linebackers mugged in the A gaps. I’m not a fan of this call, especially against this defensive front. Although the Jaguars didn’t block it poorly, they were simply outnumbered at the point of attack.
On third down, the Jaguars lined up in an 11 personnel Trio set to the field, with Gabe Davis as the single receiver into the boundary. The Jaguars ran a common concept featuring double "in" routes with a corner route from the #3 receiver on the three-receiver side, while Davis ran a speed out into the boundary. The Kansas City defense was running "1 Cross" or "1 Hook," where the safety opposite the three-receiver side drops into the high hook zone, looking to cut off the first in-breaking route. Recognizing this coverage, Trevor Lawrence smartly worked back to the single receiver side and delivered a well-placed pass that appeared to be a first down. However, the officials ruled it incomplete, forcing Doug Pederson into a decision.
While I believed Davis made the catch and thought Pederson should challenge it, he opted not to. Instead, he called a timeout, which was a bit perplexing. I wondered, if you're going to call a timeout, why not challenge the play? But then I realized this is preseason, and the Jaguars might have wanted to practice a 4th-and-5 situation, which is what the preseason is for.
On 4th down, the Jaguars decided to go for it. They initially lined up in an 11 personnel empty set, with three receivers to the field and two to the boundary, including Etienne. However, they quickly shifted Etienne back to the backfield, leaving the Jaguars in a 3x1 set. Kansas City responded with what I call Cover 5 (2-man under). Unfortunately, this play ended up being Trevor Lawrence’s worst of the day. He looked for a big gain on the sail route to Christian Kirk instead of checking down to Evan Engram, who ran a great whip route and beat his man. Trevor held onto the ball a bit too long, and Etienne’s assigned linebacker, who rushed after Etienne stayed in protection, ended up sacking him.
Conclusion
Overall, the Jaguars' offense displayed efficiency, particularly in the passing game. The receivers created separation, the offensive line provided solid protection, and Trevor Lawrence delivered several impressive throws. It appears the offense—and perhaps Etienne specifically—is better suited for gap schemes rather than zone schemes. The struggles on outside zone plays, especially in blocking execution, suggest a potential shift toward more pin-and-pull strategies could be beneficial moving forward.
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