NFL Preseason Week 1 Game Recap: Jacksonville Jaguars 28, Dallas Cowboys 23

The Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off their 2023 season with a 28-23 victory over the Dallas Cowboys Saturday night at AT&T Stadium.

While the Cowboys opted to rest 20-plus starters, including stars such as Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons, the Jaguars opted to play most of their starters for a few series, which helped them jump out to an early 14-0 lead in the first half. Even though the Cowboys made a second-half charge, the Jaguars will able to leverage that early lead to defeat Dallas in the end.

Offensive spotlight: Tight end Jake Ferguson may make Cowboys fans quickly forget Dalton Schultz, as he showcased impressive receiving skills during his allocated snaps in the first half. As a rookie, Ferguson proved to be an effective short-to-intermediate receiving option; however, he was able to stretch the seam a bit Saturday, making an acrobatic 26-yard reception in the first quarter while sustaining a thunderous hit that tacked on an extra 15 yards. In totality, Ferguson recorded three receptions (from three targets) for 38 yards and two first downs, finishing 2-for-2 on his contested-catch opportunities in the process.

.@jqfergy11 with the turn & go ????#JAXvsDAL | ????: @CBS11 & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/zhOTMy4DoH

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 12, 2023

While many have focused on Dallas' exciting trio of receivers (CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup), Ferguson's performance demonstrated that he may be a major factor in the Cowboys' offense moving forward as well. The Wisconsin product appears to have separated himself from Peyton Hendershot and Luke Schoonmaker in the competition to be TE1 in Dallas.

Moreover, it's impossible to recap this game without mentioning Deuce Vaughn, who put together an impressive performance when given the opportunity in the second half. Making an impact as a runner and receiver, “Smol RB” finished with eight carries for 50 rushing yards and a touchdown in addition to three receptions for six yards. Vaughn looked explosive with his burst, elusive with his cuts and decisive in his reads throughout the evening. In a game where Malik Davis and Rico Dowdle had some struggles, Vaughn just made his case to be RB2 in Dallas this season.

Six for the rookie Deuce Vaughn! ????

????: Stream #JAXvsDAL on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXewtKp pic.twitter.com/OTYouZzA6b

— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2023

Jaguars star quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw a bone-headed interception on his second pass, but he was able to bounce back and put together an acceptable performance in his first preseason outing. Altogether, Lawrence finished 5-of-6 for 36 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby put together some notable runs as well, finishing with nine carries for 52 rushing yards while also forcing a missed tackle. If Bigsby continues to perform well in his given opportunities, he could eat into Travis Etienne‘s snap share in the Jaguars backfield this season.

Defensive spotlight: Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark was all over the field during the first half, making multiple positive plays for the Dallas defense against the run and pass. With his first full offseason, Clark finally appeared to play to his athletic potential, as he made quick decisions that enabled his physical gifts to put him in position to make plays. Clark finished with five total tackles and two stops Saturday evening. 

Jaguars interior defender DaVon Hamilton didn't play a ton, but he did make his presence felt immediately, especially as a pass-rusher, notching a pressure on two of his three pass-rush opportunities, which included a sack.

Rookie spotlight: Cowboys rookie linebacker DeMarvion Overshown showcased why the team was so happy to grab him in third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, as he made multiple plays against both the run and pass. Not only was Overshown able to make an impressive run stop on third down but he showcased his undeniable sideline-to-sideline speed when he closed on a pass to the flats before the ball carrier could reach the first down. With Leighton Vander Esch, Clark, Jabril Cox and Overshown, the Cowboys have one of the fastest linebacker corps in the NFL, which is going to make it difficult for opposing offenses to stretch Dallas horizontally in the run game. 

Jaguars rookie tackle Anton Harrison was able to hold up in pass protection Saturday, allowing zero pressures across his 11 pass-blocking snaps at right tackle. If Harrison can be a steady presence on the right side, it only means Lawrence will have more time to carve up defenses this season.

Offensive line spotlight: Even though the Cowboys weren't playing their full pass-rush rotation, they still has notable pass-rushers such as Sam Williams, Dante Fowler and Osa Odighizuwa in the game; however, Jacksonville was able to hold up well for the most part, as the team didn't allow a sack in the first half. 

The Cowboys offensive line struggled in pass protection throughout despite Mike McCarthy opting to get the ball out of his quarterback's hands quickly with short-passing concepts, especially while Jacksonville's first-team defense was still in the game. The Cowboys' offensive line depth was a major question mark coming into this contest and nothing that occurred should change that.

Box Score

Passing

Rushing

Receiving

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