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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to have to play much better if they will beat the New England Patriots in the AFC match return next weekend.
The opening weekend was ugly. Penalty charges. Offensive struggles. A thigh injury caused by first running back Leonard Fournette and a near defensive loss after linebacker Myles Jack gave Jacksonville a 20-9 lead with a 32-yard interception return early on. fourth quarter.
For now, the Jaguars will be content with a 20-15 victory over the Giants on Sunday, which has spoiled the New York debut of coach Pat Shurmur and half-player Saquon Barkley.
"We were talking about it in the locker room," said quarterback Blake Bortles, who had a short touchdown pass and helped Jacksonville take a 13-6 lead at half-time. "You never really know how the first week is going to happen. You have an idea You know that you faced a very good defense throughout the camp and throughout the pre-season. But to go out and find a way to win when you did not have your 'A' game as offensive, I think it's really special. "
The Jaguars won because their defense, which scored seven touchdowns last season, brought them. He limited three field goals to New York and stopped a late start after Beckham caught 21- and 19-yard passes to help the Giants reach the Jacksonville 36.
However, the Jaguars have, unlike the AFC match, when the Patriots scored the last 14 points to qualify for the Super Bowl.
If there was a negative, he was giving a 68-yard touchdown pass to Barkley less than a minute after Jack scored. The rookie finished with 106 yards in 18 races.
Still, the win gave Jacksonville a positive mark before a home game with New England, which beat the Houston Texans 27-20.
Jack, who scored on a pass given by Abry Jones, is eager to be there.
"I really think about that. As soon as this clock reached double zero, I was already thinking of New England, "he said. "I can not wait for this game and I can not wait to see Jacksonville."
After a season 3-13, the Giants refused to console themselves in a good effort, not with a game in Dallas last weekend.
"It's disappointing when you lose," Shurmur said. "The only good thing is that our team has been fighting from the front to the back. They fought throughout the game. Unfortunately, as is the case in many of these games that are close, we have not done enough games. "
Here's what we learned in the Jaguars' win:
O-LINE WOES: The Giants attack line remains a work in progress. The reworked group must give Eli Manning (23 out of 37 for 224) time to find his talented receivers and open holes for Barkley.
Facing a tough pass defense, Manning spent most of the game hitting short passes. There was not much time to look down.
Ereck Flowers failed his transition from left to right. He was whistled for a call and a blockage on the opening drive. Left forward Nate Solder also received a hold call.
TOO FLAGS: The biggest problem of the Jaguars was the penalties. They were called 11 times for 119 yards.
"We know we can be better than that," said coach Doug Marrone. "At the end of the day, we were able to win. If you continue on this track, these things will bite you.
BECKHAM BACK: Stop worrying about left Beckham ankle broke in October. In his first match for nearly 11 months, the NFL's highest paid receiver was the best player on the field. He caught 11 passes for 111 yards and imposed two interference penalties late in the first half to set a goal on the court.
"Just being there and competing with the best, I hope we could have won, but at the same time, it's a good starting point for our team," said Beckham.
INJURIES: Marrone was not worried about Fournette, who finished with nine runs for 41. Backup T.J. Yeldin led the team with 14 runs for 51 yards and Bortles had four for 42. Jacksonville ran for 137 yards.
"He had it before, he knows how to treat it," said Marrone about Fournette. "It makes things very optimistic, which normally I'm not so optimistic about."
GIANTS NEW DEE: Figure 3-4 of coordinator James Bettcher limited the Jaguars to 305 yards, including 121 in the second half. Janoris Jenkins had an interception and the tight Jags and receivers combined for 12 catches, with only two games 20 yards or more.
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