The Jaguars offense got off to a smashing start on Friday night, but fumbles took the wind out of their sails after the first possession.
Wide receiver Cecil Shorts, who scored Jacksonville’s opening touchdown, was stripped by Giants corner Prince Amukamara on an end around on the first play of the team’s second possession. It was a sloppy play by Shorts, who stopping paying attention to ball security as he made his way down the field.
That meant a third series for starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who moved the team into Giants territory until he lost the ball on a strip sack by linebacker Adrian Tracy. Defensive tackle Marvin Austin deserves some of the credit, though, because he caved in the center of the Jaguars line and forced Gabbert to move out of the pocket where Tracy stripped him.
Gabbert ended the night 5-of-10 for 62 yards. It was a decent performance, certainly not the nightmare that some have been predicting, but the real story of the night is that Maurice Jones-Drew didn’t gain any leverage in his quest for a new contract. Rashad Jennings ran for 62 yards on 10 carries, an encouraging outing for a player who could be toting the rock in Jacksonville for quite a while.