The Jacksonville Jaguars traveled to MetLife Stadium on Saturday to face the New York Jets in the second preseason game for both teams. Jacksonville has been a franchise in rebuilding mode since 2009 and has seemingly been going nowhere fast. With new head coach Gus Bradley at the helm, the Jaguars have nowhere to go but up this season. For the New York Jets, head coach Rex Ryan is sitting in the hottest seat in the NFL this season as rookie Geno Smith competes against Mark Sanchez for the starting quarterback spot. Jets defeated the Jags 37 to 13.
The Jets quarterback battle seems to be Mark Sanchez’s job to lose, and he started off with a strong effort in the matchup against Jacksonville. Sanchez, who played through three quarters Saturday, led the Jets to a touchdown on their opening drive of the game, followed up with a field goal on their second drive. However Sanchez began to fade after his promising start when he threw an interception on the first drive of the second quarter. He would go on to finish the game 13/23 with 169 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Geno Smith didn’t play in the game due to an ankle injury suffered in practice earlier in the week.
Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who has struggled in his short career, is trying to prove himself as the answer to the team’s quarterback struggles. Gabbert who is accompanied in the backfield with one of the best running backs in the league, Maurice Jones-Drew, has been unable to find consistency in the NFL. However, on this night Blaine Gabbert was locked in, going 13/16 for 165 yards and a touchdown. He finished the game with a passer rating of 130.5.
If Jacksonville continues to receive promising numbers from Blaine Gabbert over the next two pre-season games, they have a great opportunity to start taking steps in a winning direction. Gabbert however suffered a thumb injury during Saturday’s game. Next week the Jaguars will host the Philadelphia Eagles.
As for the Jets, their quarterback competition will continue between Geno Smith and Mark Sanchez. For Rex Ryan the hot seat only gets hotter as the Jets move onto their next game next Saturday against the New York Giants.
