The Jacksonville Jaguars just wrapped their first preseason game of 2026 with a 24-20 road win over the New Orleans Saints. But even as the dust settles, there is one glaring issue that kicked off the game on the very first play: injuries to the offensive line.
Injury Woes and Defensive Lapses
This O-line group was already dealing with a pile of injuries, and then Chuma Edoga went down on the first snap. Seriously? Walker Little and Patrick Mekari were already sidelined coming into this game, and Cole Van Lanen is still on the PUP list. With backups forced in, the unit took its lumps, and it was rough to watch. On the defensive side, cornerback Corey Ballentine had a tough night. Saints quarterback Zach Wilson was throwing bombs, averaging 9.1 yards per attempt on 16 passes and racking up several explosive plays through the air. Ballentine was the nearest defender on at least two of those. That is not the start you want to see.
Stepping Up When It Counts
Despite the early struggles, some guys definitely showed up. Running back J’Mari Taylor was a workhorse, churning out positive gains even when the yards were tough to find. He was critical in those two second-half scoring drives, finishing with 78 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. The defensive end rotation behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker also looked solid. Danny Striggow put up three tackles, half a sack, and a quarterback hit. BJ Green grabbed a fumble recovery, with an assist from Wesley Williams, who also flashed that well-rounded skill set coaches have been raving about. And linebacker Yasir Abdullah was a blur, all over the field, bagging two tackles, one for a loss, a sack, and a quarterback hit. He even helped create the disruption that led to Spencer Rattler’s fumble.
Preseason wins and losses don’t matter, especially since the starters sat this one out. But Liam Coen wants a resilient team, and this Jaguars squad showed exactly that fight, scoring 18 straight points in the second half to snag the win. It is a good sign for Coen’s vision, even with the obvious offensive line concerns.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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