NFL Saturday Night Highlights: Mac Jones Shines with 2 TDs as Jaguars Defeat Buccaneers

In a thrilling NFL preseason matchup on Saturday night, quarterback Mac Jones delivered a standout performance, throwing two touchdown passes to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 20-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here’s a rundown of the other notable preseason games from the NFL’s Saturday night slate:

• New York Jets 15, Carolina Panthers 12: With a combined 141 passing yards, the Jets edged the Panthers with a series of five field goals—one by Greg Zuerlein and four by Austin Seibert.

• Indianapolis Colts 21, Arizona Cardinals 13: The Colts relied on a strong ground game, racking up 166 rushing yards and scoring three touchdown runs for the win.

• Miami Dolphins 13, Washington Commanders 6: Tua Tagovailoa, in his preseason debut, completed all five of his passes for a touchdown on the opening drive, helping the Dolphins secure the win.

• Buffalo Bills 9, Pittsburgh Steelers 3: The Bills dominated on the ground with a rushing game that outpaced their passing yards and sealed the win with three field goals by Tyler Bass.

• Tennessee Titans 16, Seattle Seahawks 15: A last-minute 46-yard field goal by Brayden Narveson gave the Titans a narrow victory over the Seahawks.

• Los Angeles Rams 13, Los Angeles Chargers 9: Rookie JJ Lapp caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Stetson Bennett IV, leading the Rams to a win in the all-Los Angeles showdown.

• Dallas Cowboys 27, Las Vegas Raiders 12: The Cowboys surged with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 69-yard interception return by Kemon Hall. Brandon Aubrey’s 66-yard field goal was the longest in NFL preseason history, though it’s not officially recorded due to the preseason setting.

Mac Jones’ Performance

After three seasons as the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback, Mac Jones is now vying for the backup spot behind Trevor Lawrence with the Jaguars. Against the Buccaneers, Jones completed 16-of-23 passes for 210 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also added 14 rushing yards. The game plan had Jones and C.J. Beathard splitting time, but Jones excelled with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Parker Washington and a 31-yard touchdown to Brevin Easton. Beathard, who played the second half, finished with 40 yards on 5-of-7 passing but was sacked three times before leaving the game in the fourth quarter.

Notable Performances from Alabama Players

• Jets vs. Panthers: Derrick Brown (Auburn) did not play, while Tae Davis (Oxford) recorded three tackles. Rudy Ford (Auburn) made one tackle. Jaylen Key (UAB/Alabama) made one tackle, and Chandler Wooten (Auburn) had two tackles.

• Colts vs. Cardinals: Raekwon Davis (Alabama) and Ryan Kelly (Alabama) did not play. Owen Pappoe (Auburn) recorded two tackles. Tejhaun Palmer (UAB) had a 15-yard reception.

• Dolphins vs. Commanders: Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) was perfect on his opening drive. Lester Cotton (Central-Tuscaloosa) started at right guard. Noah Igbinoghene (Auburn) made two tackles and a tackle for loss.

• Bills vs. Steelers: Montravius Adams (Auburn) made two tackles. Najee Harris (Alabama) ran for 17 yards.

• Titans vs. Seahawks: Shyheim Carter (Alabama) had two tackles. Derick Hall (Auburn) recorded three tackles and one sack. Jamie Sheriff (South Alabama) made three tackles and one sack.

• Rams vs. Chargers: A.J. Finley (Alabama) made two tackles. Kimani Vidal (Troy) ran for 49 yards and caught two passes.

• Jaguars vs. Buccaneers: Marcus Banks (Alabama) made three tackles. Tank Bigsby (Auburn) ran for 37 yards and caught three passes. Chris Braswell (Alabama) made three tackles, and K.J. Britt (Oxford, Auburn) had six tackles.

• Cowboys vs. Raiders: Ameer Abdullah (Homewood) had multiple contributions. Jakorian Bennett (McGill-Toolen) made two tackles. Carter Bradley (South Alabama) passed for 56 yards.