Jaguars QB Mac Jones throws two touchdowns in preseason win over the Bucs

Mac Jones took charge of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night during the team’s second preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He played most of the fourth quarter after QB CJ Beathard suffered a groin injury late in the third quarter.

The Jaguars secured their second win of the preseason, defeating the Buccaneers 20-7.

Last week the Jaguars defeated the Chiefs 26-13.

Updates on the first half: Jacksonville Jaguars vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers in second NFL preseason game

Shortly before the game, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on local radio that Jones would play the first half and Beathard would take over in the second half of the game.

Most of Jacksonville’s regular players were absent tonight, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who Pederson ruled out earlier this week.

Jones’ opportunity comes after the team traded the former New England Patriots first-round pick in March. Jones is battling with Beathard to immediately replace Lawrence.

Last week, Beathard was the team’s first starter after Lawrence’s night ended after nine snaps. He completed 7 of 14 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Jones completed 9 of 11 passes for 98 yards against the Chiefs.

Mac Jones impresses with his performance against the Buccaneers

Jones’ first half against the Buccaneers was not perfect. He threw a pass intended for receiver Elijah Cooks in the first quarter that would have gone at least 20 yards. Cooks returned the favor late in the second quarter with a drop that led to a punt.

“I think he’s doing some good things. He’s staying calm. We missed a key third down that we would have liked to have made, but I think he sees the field, he makes good, strong, accurate throws and I think he’s playing well,” Pederson said at halftime.

On a second attempt in the red zone, Jones stood in the pocket before beginning to escape before stumbling and being taken down by Buccaneers outside linebacker Jose Ramirez, resulting in a sack.

Jones made up for it on the next play, throwing a 25-yard pitch-and-catch touchdown to receiver Parker Washington. Washington has been one of the team’s most improved players this training camp, as Lawrence, Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor have noted in recent weeks.

Jones finished the first half completing 11 of 18 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown throw in the second quarter was his first in a Jaguars uniform.

Jones led the Jaguars down the field and kicked a field goal late in the second quarter. His first half ended on a high note, but the team ran out of time, leading to a chip shot attempt by Cam Little as the clock expired.

After his replacement Beathard was injured, Jones returned to competition.

Jones finished the game completing 16 of 23 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown of the night came late in the fourth quarter from rookie receiver Brevin Easton.

Jaguars defensive substitutes give up 118 yards in the first half, Muma shines in a few snaps

Jaguars linebacker Chad Muma stood out the most on defense in the first half against the Buccaneers, leading the team with four tackles, including three solo. Jacksonville’s linebackers are adjusting to the new roles assigned to them by defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.

Muma is currently competing with LB Devin Lloyd, but is clearly behind the former first-round pick for now. Muma has learned all three linebacker positions this summer, proving his versatility.

Jacksonville’s defensive linemen did not disappoint their coaches on Saturday night against the Buccaneers.

In the first half of the game, the Jaguars defense limited the Buccaneers to 118 total net yards, including 65 net rushing yards and 53 net passing yards.

Jacksonville’s defense did well for the most part against Buccaneers QB Kyle Trask. Trask completed 8 of 11 passes for 53 yards and a touchdown.

Brian Thomas Jr. catches 1 pass in the first half against the Buccaneers

Thomas’ first NFL appearance was accompanied by a lot of excitement. Last week he caught a pass for 41 yards. The momentum of his catch continued into the week of joint practice against the Buccaneers.

In the first half of Saturday’s game, Thomas caught just one pass for 14 yards in a few snaps. Thomas’ third-down catch ultimately led to Jacksonville’s first points on Saturday night.

Jacksonville-born Buccaneers QB John Wolford struggles in first game after returning to Jacksonville

Wolford’s final game in Jacksonville as Bishop Kenny QB was more than impressive. In 2013, Wolford completed 25 of 36 passes for 539 yards and eight touchdowns. He ran 17 times for 234 yards and two touchdowns.

BK lost to Clay 74-73 in the Region 1-5A semifinals.

The performance on Saturday night was a little different. Wolford completed 7 of 14 passes for 52 yards. With 1:40 left in the game, Wolford was hit by a Jaguars defender and left the game with an injury.

Press Taylor will continue to call the field in the second warm-up game

Press Taylor continued to serve as a playmaker on Saturday against Tampa Bay, calling plays from the field for the second week in a row. Pederson has not yet named a playmaker for the regular season, but all indications are that Taylor will take on that role again this season, as he did for the first time last year.

Taylor was seen near Pederson throughout the game. When the Jaguars went on defense, Taylor often spoke with Lawrence, who also wore a headset Saturday night.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence and 22 other players will not play against the Buccaneers

In addition to Lawrence, 22 other regular or key Jaguars players were absent, according to ESPN/AP, including:

WR Gabe Davis
RB Travis Etienne
S Andre Cisco
CB Darnell Savage
WR Christian Kirk
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence
TE Evan Engram
S Daniel Thomas
LB Foye Oluokun
CB Ronald Darby
RB Keilan Robinson
CB Tyson Campbell
LB Devin Lloyd
DE Josh Hines-Allen
S Andrew Wingard
EN Travon Walker
S Tashaun Gipson
DT DaVon Hamilton
C Mitch Morse
RG Brandon Scherff
LT Cam Robinson
TE Luke Farrell
EN Arik Armstead

Interesting notes about the Jaguars’ season:

While none of the players listed are surprises, defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris, who was a team captain last season, played in Saturday’s game against the Buccaneers after playing late in the third quarter last week against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Left Tackle Walker Little, Left Guard Ezra Cleveland and Right Tackle Anton Harrison played only one series, 11 snaps.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.

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