ATLANTA — The starters for the Atlanta Falcons rested. Their counterparts for the Jacksonville Jaguars romped.
Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence tuned up for the regular season by guiding two long touchdown drives against a bunch of Atlanta players fighting for jobs, and the Jaguars blew away the Falcons 31-0 in the preseason finale for both teams Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Lawrence was 8-of-10 passing for 91 yards — including a pair of short touchdown connections with tight end Evan Engram — before calling it a night.
“It was a good night, very clean,” Lawrence said. “As far as just our team, our offense, where we’re at, I think we’re in a great spot.”
The Jaguars made it look easy, which wasn’t at all surprising with Atlanta holding out its first-string players. Many of the Falcons’ top backups also watched from the sideline, including quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the No. 8 pick in the draft, just as first-year Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris said he would.