Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) stands on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
By The Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — Trevor Lawrence got his regular season underway by leading two long touchdown drives against a number of Atlanta players fighting for their jobs, and the Jacksonville Jaguars thrashed the Falcons 31-0 in the final preseason game Friday night.
Lawrence completed 8 of 10 passes for 91 yards, including hits of 6 and 5 yards to tight end Evan Engram, before calling it a night.
The Jaguars made it look easy, which was not surprising considering the Falcons didn’t use any of their starters. Many of their top backups also watched from the sidelines – most notably rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who was selected No. 8 in the draft.
Although Kirk Cousins is slated to start for the Falcons, new coach Raheem Morris decided to use Penix in just a single preseason game. The decision raised many eyebrows, but Morris said he had seen his prized rookie play well in practice and didn’t want to risk injury.
Cousins, who signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons, sat out the entire preseason while recovering from an Achilles injury that ended his last season with the Minnesota Vikings. He has been practicing a lot and should be ready when the games matter.
The Jaguars took a different approach in preseason, opting to use most of their starters after benching them the previous week, and dominated the underdog Falcons, who started with third-string quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
BUCCANEERS 24, DOLPHINS 14
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baker Mayfield needed a series to show Tampa Bay everything they wanted to see from him in their season-ending win over the Miami Dolphins.
The 29-year-old quarterback, who revived his career by leading the Bucs to the playoffs last season, took his team 70 yards in seven plays after the opening kickoff and set up Rachaad White’s 4-yard touchdown run with a 28-yard pass to rookie Jalen McMillan.
Mayfield, who sat out Tampa Bay’s first two preseason games, completed 3 of 3 passes for 54 yards before taking a timeout for the rest of the night as both teams used most of the game to take a long look at young players still battling for a spot on the roster.
Like Mayfield, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa also played a streak this preseason after leading the NFL in passing yardage in 2023. The fifth-year pro, who signed a four-year, $212 million contract extension in the offseason, completed all five of his passes for 51 yards and a touchdown in Miami’s second preseason game.
Mayfield, who was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time last season, played for the first time since signing a three-year, $100 million contract. He played in 2023 on a one-year, $4 million contract and threw for personal-bests of 4,044 yards and 28 TDs to help Tampa Bay win a third consecutive NFC South title.
49ERS 24, RAIDERS 24
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Brock Purdy completed 9 of 12 passes for 96 yards and threw an interception in the red zone as San Francisco finished the preseason with a tie against Las Vegas.
Daniel Carlson’s 43-yard field goal with 16 seconds left tied the Raiders (0-2-1) with the 49ers (1-1-1). Joshua Dobbs’ 10-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Cowing late in the third quarter gave the 49ers a 24-21 lead.
With the regular season starting in two weeks, each team approached the game with different approaches. The 49ers played most of their starters in the first quarter, and the Raiders relied on reserve players who were competing for a roster spot in Las Vegas or another NFL team.
One of the players fighting for one of those spots was quarterback Nathan Peterman, who was surprisingly given the starting role after coach Antonio Pierce announced on Wednesday that Carter Bradley would start the game.
Peterman played the first half, completing 12 of 19 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Bradley led the tying field goal drive, completing 9 of 21 passes for 169 yards with a TD and an interception in the end zone.
