Jacksonville Jaguars 28-23 Dallas Cowboys, Jaguars win first preseason game, summary: score, stats, highlights | NFL Preseason Week 1
Jaguars beat Cowboys 28-23
Jaguars beat Cowboys in preseason opener
Doug Pederson decided to play his starters at the beginning of the game, and it was a rather unsurprising first-half domination over the Cowboys. But towards the end of the first half, the Cowboys were able to at least get a score. They made gains on the Jaguars, even taking the lead at one point in the second half, but turnovers and mistakes kept them from getting the win in the end. Jaguars won the preseason opener 28-23 over Cowboys.
Deuce breaking loose
The Cowboys did have some takeaways despite the loss. Rookie Deuce Vaughn, the smallest man on the squad, was on a mission to prove why he deserves the running back 2 position after Tony Pollard, and he did that. With eight carries for 52 yards and a touchdown, Vaughn is now a serious contender against Rico Dowdle (6 carries, 21 yards) and Malik Davis (1 carry, 14 yards). He was responsible for the drive that set up Aubrey for a 29-yard field goal when he had two catches for 17 yards and then setting up his own score after a 26-yard run, which gave the Cowboys their first and only lead of the game.
Cowboys offense
Overall, it was not impressive, but in the end the Dallas defense finished with 340 yards and 33% on the third-down conversions, plus converted on all three of their 4th-down attempts. Perhaps even more encouraging (and unusual for Dallas), they had just six penalties.
Rush vs Grier
The media likes to make this into a "quarterback battle", but it's really never been one. Will Grier proved exactly why when he took over for Cooper Rush after the first quarter. Rush completed 10/12 passes for 86 yards. Grier finished with 199 yards passing and just 22/31 pass completions, two touchdowns and one interception.
Bigsby has big day
Though Tank Bigsby didn't have any touchdowns for the Jaguars today, he was responsible for a few. He led the team in rushing yards with nine carries for 52 yards.
Rourke proves versatility
Jaguars backup quarterback, Canadian Nathan Rourke, had a big day for Jacksonville as well. He played the majority of the second half after Lawrence and Beathard and went 9 of 17 for 153 yards and one touchdown. Not to mention, the insane Houdini move he pulled off to avoid a sack by three Dallas defenders and ended up not just getting the ball away, but getting it into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown. Impressive.
Watch this crazy escape for a TD
Honestly, HOW did he get out of that and then throw a 21-yard TD pass??? Amazing.
END GAME - Jaguars beat Cowboys in Preseason game 1
And the Jaguars let the clock run and take the knee to come away with the win over the Cowboys in their first preseason game of the 2023 NFL season
False Start on Jaguars, 1st and 15
Rourke took the ball up himself to slide into a 1st down with under 2 minutes to go
TWO-MINUTE WARNING
The Cowboys are down by 5 with just 2 minutes left to play. Jaguars have the ball on 2nd down and 8 at their own 27.
Conner takes it up 2 yards
Grier pass to Stephens 15 yards on a 4th and 11 for the TOUCHDOWN and Aubrey's PAT is GOOD this time to take it to 28-23 with 2:16 left in the game
COWBOYS TOUCHDOWN!
Cowboys timeout #2
Grier pass complete to Johnson for 7 yards - 4th and 11
Cowboys timeout #1
Grier SACKED by Miller for a loss of 9 - 3rd and 19
Grier pass incomplete to Barbon - 2nd and 10
Offsides on Jaguars gives Dallas the automatic 1st
Grier pass to Stephens incomplete - 4th and 3
Grier gets the ball to Stephens - what he was trying to do before he turned it over before - 3rd and 3
Rourke to Conner, FUMBLES, recovered by Dallas' Harper and Cowboys get the ball back again!
Grier throws an INTERCEPTION right into the arms of Braswell
Grier avoids pressure, gets the ball away to Stephens for 21 yards. Jaguars get Illegal Contact penalty, declined. Dallas 1st down
Dowdle takes the return back 44 yards to the Dallas 45
In an incredible play that looked like a SACK, the Jaguars somehow got a TOUCHDOWN. Rourke avoided a sack from FOUR defenders to actually get the ball away 21 yards in the hands of Ollison in the end zone. They went for 2 but Rourke pass to Pryor was incomplete. Still, they lead the Cowboys 28-16 with just under 4 minutes to go in the game.
JAGUARS TOUCHDOWN!
Holding on Jaguars' Cronk - declined, still 3rd and 16
Rourke pass incomplete to Jenkins - 3rd and 16
Conner up the middle - 2nd and 15
Offensive Holding on Jaguars' Jackson - 9 yards, enforced at Cowboys 16
Rourke pass complete to Jenkins for 14 yards and the 1st down
Roughing the Passer call on Dallas' Banogu gives them another 15 yards.
Conner gets a yard, then with pressure on, Rourke throws an incomplete pass to bring Jaguars to 3rd and 9
Cowboys' Wheat was injured during the play - return is Questionable
Rourke pass complete to Conner for 21 yards gives Jaguars the 1st down and then some
Rourke first pass incomplete but second is complete for 10 yards to Cooks - 3rd and 10
Pass Interference on Jaguars' Martin for 10 yards - 1st and 20 at Jaguars 23
Player Out of Bounds on Kick on Cowboys' Houston
Dallas punts it back, Washington takes it back 15 yards
Grier to Green for 8 yards, but Luepke gets nowhere and an incomplete pass to Johnson brings Dallas to 4th and 2
The Jaguars made it down the field fast. After a huge 32-yard pass to Cooks, Rourke runs it in 4 yards for the Jaguars touchdown. They go for 2 for the third time and Rourke's pass to Martin is COMPLETE to give the Jaguars another 8 points and a 6-point lead over the Cowboys with under nine minutes to go.
Rourke pass to Martin is COMPLETE in the end zone for a two-point conversion!
JAGUARS TOUCHDOWN!
Conner gets a gain of 4 - 2nd and goal
Rourke pass to Cooks is complete for huge gain of 32 yards before he's finally pushed out of bounds - 1st and goal Jaguars
Rourke got tripped up but was able to get the ball away just in time, Conner gets a gain of 3
Conner takes it up the middle 4 yards, then 1, but it's a 17-yard pass to Jenkins to the Cowboys 38 that gets the Jags the 1st down gain
Offsides call on Dallas' Bohanna puts Jaguars at 1st and 15
Rourke to Pryor gave Jaguars 20 yards, but a Holding call on Jackson took them back 10
Deuce Vaughn put the Cowboys in the lead with huge gains and finally a TOUCHDOWN to start the 4th quarter. Unfortunately for them, Aubrey missed the PAT, but Dallas has a 3-point lead over Jacksonville with 13:49 left in the game.
COWBOYS TOUCHDOWN!
Grier pass to Vaughn COMPLETE for 9 yards - 1st and goal
Vaughn gets a gain of 2 to bring the Cowboys to 3rd and 3
END THIRD QUARTER
The Cowboys are on a roll here in the second half as they try to catch up to the Jaguars. Vaughn broke out on a 26-yard run and Grier connected with Houston three times in a row for gains of 5, 11, and 17. Now, the Cowboys are at the Jaguars 16 going into the 4th.
Vaughn takes it up 26 yards to the Dallas 20!
Grier complete to Fehoko but he's just short - 2nd and 1
Grier connects to Houston for a third time in a row for another big gain of 17 yards and another first down
Grier pass complete to Houston again, this time for 11 yards for the 1st down
Grier pass complete to Houston to bring Cowboys to 3rd and 8
Vaughn taken down by Smith for a loss of 3 - 2nd and 13
Jaguars go for it on 4th down but with the pressure on Rourke by Cox, he throws it away and the Cowboys get their 4th down turnover after all.
Johnson took it up a yard but Rourke's pass to Prince was caught out of bounds. On the final attempt, Rourke's pass was incomplete to Williams to bring the Jaguars to yet another 4th down and 9.
Rourke pass incomplete to Jones, would have been a turnover on downs for Dallas but Cowboys' Mukuamu gets a Defensive Holding call to give the Jaguars the automatic 1st down
Offensive Pass Interference on Jaguars Harris - declined, 4th and 5 at the Dallas 21
Rourke scrambles for 4, then Washington is pushed out of bounds for a gain of 2 - Jaguars at 3rd down and 5 at the Cowboys 21
Johnson gets a huge burst for a 26-yard gain to the Dallas 26
Cowboys' Jefferson was injured during the play and his return is Questionable
Rourke takes the ball 16 yards for a 1st down at the Jaguars 48
The Cowboys are gaining on the Jaguars in the second half. After getting all the way to the end zone on some impressive runs by Vaughn and an 11-yard gain by Stephens, the Cowboys couldn't make it into the end zone, but they were able to get the field goal on a 29-yard attempt by Aubrey. They're down by just 4 with 8:34 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Aubrey 29-yard field goal attempt is GOOD!
Grier to Vaughn but he's taken down immediately by for a loss of 4 yards - 4th and 9
Vaughn is getting his chance to show he can move, he gets 3m then 1 to bring Cowboys to 3rd and 7
Grier pass complete to Stephens for 11 yards to the Jaguars 12!
Luepke took it up 8 yards but then lost 2 on the next play - 3rd and 4
Grier complete to Fehoko gives Dallas another 1st down
Penalty was an Illegal Contact by Jaguars Braswell
Grier throws an INTERCEPTION but a penalty on Jaguars instead gives Dallas the automatic 1st down
Shifty Vaughn takes it up another 8 yards short of the 1st down
Illegal Use of Hands on Jaguars Lacy gives Dallas 5 yards and an automatic 1st down
Say what you want about Vaughn being small, but no one saw him sneak out for a 6-yard gain. Add an 8-yard pass to Schoonmaker and we have a Cowboys 1st down.
START FIRST HALF
And we're back! Davis is out for the return for the Cowboys and he takes it down 23 yards
Tolbert TD
Greir connects with Tolbert to put points on the board for Dallas just before the end of the half
HALFTIME
The Jaguars have been dominant in the first half, but a Tolbert TD gives the Cowboys some points on the board just before the end and makes it a one-score game heading into the second half.
Grier passed 17 yards to Tolbert for the Cowboys' first touchdown (Tolbert's too) and the PAT by Aubrey is GOOD. The Cowboys get points on the board with just 13 seconds left in the first half.
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!
Timeout #2 Dallas
Dowdle gets just enough for the 1st to the 17
Timeout Dallas
Dowdle gets 9 yards and now the Cowboys are at 4th down again but this time with just a yard to go at the Jaguars 28
Two incomplete passes to Brooks brings Cowboys to 3rd and 10
Dallas goes for it on 4th and 13 and Grier's pass is COMPLETE to Turpin for 15 yards, 1st down Dallas!
Davis took it up to the 43 which at least brings them to 4th and 13, but with less than a minute left, will they go for it?
Grier is SACKED by Ledbetter for a loss of 6. Suddenly Dallas is at 3rd and 30 after a 31-yard catch.
Offensive Pass Interference by Cowboys Tolbert takes them back 10 yards after the big catch, 1st and 20
Grier passes deep to Tolbert and it's COMPLETE for 31 yards
TWO-MINUTE WARNING
The Cowboys are trying to get on the board before the end of the first half.
Dowdle takes it 2, then 7, and at the 3rd down, Grier took it up 14 yards to the Jaguars 40
Beathard pass incomplete to Austin and Dallas will get take over at the Cowboys 37
The Jaguars are brought to 4th down and 8 but they're taking risks today and they go for it...
Johnson takes it up 2 yards, followed by a NEAR-turnover. Jefferson took it from Strange's arms but it was down before it could be considered a fumble.
Beathard takes the ball up the middle for 2 yards to get the 1st down for Jaguars
Beathard to Johnson, he takes it just shy of the 1st down - 3rd and 1
Beathard pass complete to wide-open Williams 15 yards for the 1st down
Beathard two incomplete passes - Joseph blocks a deep pass to Austin Jr. 3rd and 10
3 and out for Dallas...again
Grier's two incomplete passes in a row didn't do Dallas any favors. Throwing in a hurry will get you nowhere as Grier gets a talking to on the sidelines and the Jaguars kick it back - the Cowboys get a penalty to give the Jaguars another 5 yards.
Vaughn took the return back 30yards to the Dallas 25
On 3rd and goal, Beathard runs it into the end zone 2 yards for the Jaguars touchdown. They went for 2 again but this time Beathard's pass to Washington was batted away, so they get just 6 points. Still they lead Dallas 14-0 with 7:41 still to go in the 1st half.
JAGUARS TOUCHDOWN!
Bigsby again but he's taken down again, this time by Jefferson and Bohanna
Bigsby is taken down by Jefferson to bring it to 2nd and goal
Beathard throws DEEP to Harris for 42 yards and it's CAUGHT - he was down but ran it into the end zone. After the review, it was called 3 yards short of a touchdown.
Bigsby takes off again but is taken down by Bell for 2nd and 3
Bigsby took off for a huge 34-yard gain to start the drive for Jacksonville
Anger punts 59 yards to the Jaguars 5 and Washington takes it back 7 yards to the Jaguars 12.
Grier SACKED by Abdullah for a loss of 10 and Dallas is forced to punt it back yet again
Grier in at QB for Dallas, Dowdle takes it up 3 yards, then 2, 3rd and 4
Cooke punted it back 42 yards but an Ineligible Downfield Kick on Pederson gives Dallas an extra 5 yards.
Beathard complete to Strange, but Overshown takes him down before the 1st down, 4th and 4 and Dallas will get another chance.
Bigsby takes it 2 yards but immediately loses 2 on the next play as Williams takes him down for a loss, 3rd and 9 Jaguars
Holding on Cowboys' Coyle, Jaguars at 1st down on the Jacksonville 16
Beathard is in at QB for the Jaguars to start the 2nd quarter
END FIRST QUARTER
It wasn't a good start to the game for the Cowboys, who had two fumbles to turn over the ball to the Jaguars. Jacksonville, on the other hand, will head into the second quarter with a touchdown and 2-point conversion.
Despite an interception thrown to start the game, Lawrence has shown up to lead Jacksonville in the rest of the quarter
False Start on Jaguars' Williams
Dowdle took the ball all the way down to the 1-yard line and just before he could make it into the end zone, the ball is STRIPPED from his arms and it's a FUMBLE recovered by Jaguars Junior (same one who forced the fumble). Unlucky moment for Dowdle, who is looking to make the RB2 position after Pollard.
Cowboys lose a yard as Davis is swallowed up by Gotsis and Abdullah, but Tolbert got a close call catch for 12 yards - It bobbled off his hands but he snagged it on a lucky catch.
Davis takes it up 5 yards x2, 1st down Cowboys
Rush to Ferguson for a huge gain of 26 yards
Unsportsmanlike Conduct call on Jaguars' Wingard gives Cowboys another 15 yards
Rush nearly threw a pick as Campbell swooped in to grab it but he missed it - 2nd and 10 on a close call for the Cowboys
Vaughn was there to receive the punt but hoped it would go out of bounds. Instead, it landed at the 12 on a 61-yard return by Cooke
Lawrence pass incomplete - caught by Jones but it was out of bounds as Bland forced him out, and the Jaguars punt it back
False Start Jaguars' Little - 5-yard penalty brings them to 3rd and 13
Jaguars on offense - Bigsby takes it up 3 yards followed by an incomplete pass by Lawrence, low to Farrell, brings Jaguars to 3rd down and 8
3 and out for Cowboys
Rush pass incomplete to Brooks brings Cowboys to 4th down yet again and they'll punt it back to the Jaguars
Rush to rookie Brooks is complete for 3 yards
Rush pass to Dowdle is complete for his first touch of the game to put Dallas at 2nd and 7
Jaguars kick it back to Dallas and Vaughn lets it drop in the end zone
Seems like Lawrence is getting the protection he needs as he has all the time in the world to make the pass and he does so to Kirk for a 9-yard touchdown. They decide to go for 2 and it pays off as Lawrence's pass to Jones in the end zone was good! The Jaguars lead 8-0 with 4:40 left to go in the 1st quarter.
2-point conversion attempt is GOOD!
TOUCHDOWN JAGUARS!
Lawrence to Clark but it's short of the 1st down, 4th and 3 at the Cowboys 9
Etienne gets taken down by Fowler for a loss of 1, 3rd and 5
Etienne takes it up 5 yards to the Cowboys 11 for 2nd and 4
Lawrence connects with Ridley for another 13 yards and another 1st down
Etienne bursts through 13 yards for an easy 1st down for the Jaguars
Jaguars punt it back, Turpin tries to take it back but FUMBLES, and it is recovered by Jaguars Junior - Jaguars back on offense
Clark stopped just short by Cowboys rookie Overshown
Ridley makes his first catch after a year off just before the first down mark, 3rd and 1 Jags
Etienne's 4-yard run gets the Jags to 2nd and 10
Holding on Jaguars' Strange, 3 yards
Illegal Block in the Back on the Jaguars' Braswell after the return, 7 yards enforced at the Jaguars 14 - Dallas defense's second fortune of the game so far.
Davis gets just a yard to bring Cowboys to 4th and 19 and they'll kick it back to Jacksonville
Rush is SACKED by Hamilton for an 11-yard loss
3rd and 21
Ferguson makes the 3rd down, 9 yards to the 38, 1st down Cowboys
Cooper Rush is starting off at QB for the Cowboys instead of Dak Prescott and his pass to Ferguson is complete for a 3-yard gain, but a hand-off to Davis goes nowhere and the Cowboys are at 3rd down.
Trevor Lawrence throws an interception on his first pass of the preseason! Caught by Thomas at the Dallas 41!
And we're off!
Brandon Aubrey kicks us off and the Jaguars will start on offense. Game on!
Good thing the Cowboys stadium has a roof
It is a steamy 106 degrees in Arlington for the Cowboys vs Jaguars game today. Ouch.
We are just about to kick off from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas!
Brandon Aubrey doing well in warmups
The Dallas Cowboys' lone kicker, rookie Brandon Aubrey, has not had a good start to training camp, making just 26 of 35 field goal attempts.
The Cowboys waived Tristan Viscaino, leaving Aubrey as their only current option at kicker. It feels a bit like deja vu as they had exactly this problem last year before ending up with Brett Maher as their starting kicker. Maher missed a record FOUR PAT attempts in the Cowboys' Wild Card game against the Bucs last season.
That makes this 56-yard kick a bit more comforting, but still not totally convincing. We will see how he does against the Jaguars shortly.
First look at Calvin Ridley's comeback
The Jaguars brought over star receiver Calvin Ridley from the Atlanta Falcons after he served a year-long suspension for violating the NFL's gambling policy last year. Since Pederson is putting his starters in against the Cowboys, that means we'll get a chance to see him play.
Ridley is set to make $11.16 million in the fifth-year option of his first-round rookie contract after Jacksonville gave Atlanta two draft picks for his contractual rights.
Now, in their unofficial depth chart, they have Ridley starting alongside Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. The comeback continues in his first preseason game with the Jags.
Jaguars vs Cowboys matchup to watch
One particularly intriguing matchup in this game will be the Jaguars tackles against the Cowboys pass rush.
The Cowboys have an incredible amount of depth on defense so the Jaguars tackles will have their work cut out for them even without the starters playing. Anton Harrison was named the Jaguars starting right tackle and will get a chance to play on the big stage for the first time tonight against the Cowboys. Then we'll see Walker Little and likely a little Cam Robinson (though he's on a four-game suspension to start the regular season) on the blindside. It will definitely be interesting to see how they fare against players like Sam Williams, Dorrance Armstrong, and former Jaguar Dante Fowler.
Speaking of Deuce Vaughn...
You probably heard about the Dallas Cowboys rookie running back because of the video that went viral of his dad, who works for the Cowboys, calling him to tell him he'd been drafted to the team.
Vaughn is quite small for an NFL player. At 5'5 and 180 pounds, he's out to prove that he's perfectly capable of playing football at a professional level, and he's more than done that already throughout the Cowboys training camp.
What about the Cowboys?
The Cowboys are unlikely to play any of their starters against the Jaguars, but that doesn't mean there won't be some key players to watch for Dallas.
Backup quarterback Cooper Rush, who went 6-3 when filling in for Prescott last season, will be play along with Will Grier. Jalen Tolbert will be vying for the WR4 position, and rookie Deuce Vaughn will be looking to make a name for himself and try to snag the RB2 position.
Jaguars will play starters
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will play tonight vs the Cowboys along with other Jacksonville starters, according to coach Doug Pederson.
"I think it's important for them to play, to feel the excitement around the game," Pederson said. He did mention he won't play them for very long - just enough time to get some "quality work in".
The last time the Jaguars and Cowboys met
It may be just the preseason, but the last time these two teams met may have left the Cowboys with a bitter taste in their mouths.
The Jaguars beat the Cowboys in an overtime comeback win, ending a four-game winning streak for Dallas. Not only that, but it was engineered by a Dak Prescott interception that Rayshawn Jenkins ran back 52 yards for a touchdown.
Yeah, I'm sure the Cowboys haven't forgotten that.
Hello everyone and welcome to our live text coverage of the Jacksonville Jaguars at Dallas Cowboys NFL Preseason Week 1!
The NFL Preseason continues tonight as the Cowboys host the Jaguars in their first preseason game of the season. AS USA will be here with you before, during, and after the game, bringing you live scores, stats, and highlights.