Three Reasons the Jaguars Beat the Buccaneers

The Jaguars' defense set the tone from the opening snap, and undrafted rookie Bryan Thomas Jr. was at the heart of it. Thomas finished with 2.5 sacks, four quarterback hits and four tackles, repeatedly finding his way into the Tampa Bay backfield as the Buccaneers struggled to protect their quarterbacks. Jacksonville finished with five sacks overall and held Tampa Bay to just 87 total yards, six first downs and a miserable 2-for-12 on third down.

Thomas' performance was particularly significant because of what was at stake. An undrafted rookie does not get many better opportunities to force his way onto an NFL roster than the final preseason game, and Thomas took his chance. He showed the explosive pass-rushing ability that had made him intriguing during camp, but also held up against the run and consistently created problems for Tampa Bay's quarterbacks.

Liam Coen certainly noticed. The Jaguars head coach said Thomas has a "gift of rushing the passer" that cannot be ignored, adding that the rookie's play was making the roster decision increasingly difficult. With Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker ahead of him, Jacksonville does not need Thomas to carry its pass rush immediately. But Friday night provided a pretty compelling argument that the Jaguars have another young edge rusher worth keeping around.