News » Jacksonville and Minnesota each fell one game short

EAGAN A. J. Cann Jersey , Minn. — Jacksonville and Minnesota each fell one game short of the Super Bowl last season, and they had another important trait in common, too.Dominant defense.More Vikings coverageVikings coordinators: Defending Brees, Holton Hill’s role, a Minneapolis Miracle story and moreWATCH: The second annual Minnesota Sports AwardsVikings welcome Everson Griffen back to practiceVikings captain Griffen returns to team activitiesVikings Snap Counts: Rookie Hill shines with Rhodes ailingThe Vikings finished first in the NFL last season with both the fewest yards and points allowed, and that didn’t go unnoticed by the Jaguars. They were second and, naturally, not pleased about it.These joint practices the teams conducted in Minnesota this week naturally gave Jacksonville’s proud group another opportunity to show off those skills, even if there was no obvious way to compare. Jaguars coach Doug Marrone even needled his players a little before the trip as another way to bring out their best.As the second day of sessions at the sparkling, sprawling Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center in suburban Minneapolis wrapped up after a thunderstorm interruption on Thursday afternoon, the takeaway was clear from both sides.That other team is good.The time was well spent.“I would consider it again. I think it depends on the team and things like that. Both teams were very respectful of one another,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said after practice. “There was really no fighting or nothing like that. No trash talking. It went really smooth.”The Jaguars and Vikings will play on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium. Then they’ll go their separate ways for likely a few years, unless they are able to take that final step and match up in the Super Bowl. This experience, particularly facing these star-packed defenses, ought to stick with them for a while.“It’s a great reminder of why practice is so important every week during the season,” Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins said, “because each defense has those nuances that https://www.jaguarsfanstore.com/Marqise-Lee-Jersey , if you’re not on top of it, will make for a long day on Sundays.”Fortunately for the Vikings, the Jaguars aren’t on their 2018 regular-season schedule. Defensive end Calais Campbell had a disruptive couple of days going against the Vikings and their injury-thinned offensive line.“They’ve got names, they’ve got experience, and they’ve got production,” Cousins said. “Certainly that’s where a lot of great defenses are founded, is on the defensive line. I have a lot of respect for their group up front.”Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles had his share of plays thwarted by the Vikings.“When you see the matchups and you look at the talent on the other side of the ball, you’re looking at that and you’re saying, `Listen, these are the type of players that you have to go against to be a heck of a football team in the NFL,'” Marrone said.For Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, who’s now past the 10-month mark in his recovery from reconstructive ACL surgery on his left knee that cut short a promising rookie season, the Jaguars defense was a welcome sight.“I was pumped up. It actually felt like I was going into a game,” said Cook, who was held out of the exhibition opener at Denver last week and might remain on the sideline as a precaution on Saturday.Though there were no late hits or unnecessarily rough stuff, facing the Jaguars gave Cook some valuable time against a defense that wasn’t his own.“Your guys take care of you, but with those guys coming in you have to react a little different Telvin Smith Color Rush Jersey ,” Cook said. “You have to cut. You have to do things differently. We take care of those guys, but there is just a little different vibe to it. You have to have a little pep in your step.”One of the players not present remained a primary talking point: Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey. He was left behind for disciplinary reasons and, earlier this week, made waves for his blunt commentary about opposing quarterbacks around the league published in a GQ magazine article .“He has opinions, and he likes voicing them. That makes him a special guy. I love how authentic he is. He doesn’t beat around the bush at all. That might make some guys try to play their best games against us, but that’s how it’s supposed to be anyway,” Campbell said, adding: “We’ll rally behind him, we’ll play hard together and hopefully we can make him look like he knows what he’s talking about.” The Jacksonville Jaguars trudged into the locker room one by one, and before coach Doug Marrone started to address the team, a few players chimed in.They were defensive guys. They were being positive, too.After a 9-6 loss to AFC South rival Tennessee in which Jacksonville’s offense was downright offensive, the Jaguars insisted there was no finger-pointing, back-biting or name-calling.“We came back in the locker room and guys expressed emotion,” said linebacker Telvin Smith, adding that a team with Super Bowl expectations was frustrated. “It’s not like guys got quiet. Nobody shied away from it. Things were said.”Several players said it was a constructive exchange designed to show support for quarterback Blake Bortles and an offense that has been less than impressive in two of three games this season.More Jacksonville Jaguars newsJaguars hope newcomer RB Carlos Hyde helps Blake Bortles get back on trackJaguars will be without A.J. Bouye, 2 more cornerbacks against Eagles in LondonJaguars view annual game in London as key component of franchise’s growthDespite slump T.J. Yeldon Jersey , Jaguars sticking with Blake Bortles as starting QBTempers flare in Jaguars’ locker room after lopsided loss to Texans“If you look at it, offensively and defensively and special teams, those guys really don’t have the type of guys we have in this locker room,” Jaguars safety Tashaun Gipson said. “It’s not like we felt like we were the king of the hill, but you’ve got to win the games you’ve got to win. … We know we’re the better team, but this Sunday they were the better team and they won.”Thanks mostly to Marcus Mariota, a punishing ground attack and a stifling defense.Mariota directed three scoring drives in relief of Blaine Gabbert, including one in the fourth quarter with “heavy personnel,” and the Titans (2-1) won their third straight in the series.Tennessee improved to 2-0 against the AFC South and will host defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia on Sunday.“This is what we are, man,” Titans cornerback Logan Ryan said. “We have a good defense. We can run the ball. We do what Jacksonville does, but we do it better than them.”Jacksonville (2-1), which fell short in its attempt to start 3-0 for the first time since 2004, will wrap up a three-game homestand next week against the New York Jets.Tennessee finished with 233 yards, but grinded out 150 on the ground, played mistake-free football and let the defense do most of the heavy lifting.“We’re not afraid of anyone,” Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan said. “We’re going to play as if we belong anywhere. People will count us out Lerentee McCray Color Rush Jersey , but that’s not the case.”The Jaguars have dropped five of six in the series and failed to score any offensive touchdown against the Titans for the second straight game. They crossed midfield just twice Sunday.“We killed ourselves,” Bortles said. “Stupid penalties, drops, missed throws. We’ve got to not hurt ourselves, especially the way our defense is and the way we play. We’ve got to score one touchdown to win the game. To go out there and score six points in four quarters, that’s bad as an offense.”Here are some other things we learned about the Titans and Jaguars:MARIOTA IMPROVINGMariota got a game ball for his gutsy performance.After sitting out last week’s victory against Houston because of an elbow injury sustained in the season opener, Mariota was forced onto the field in the first quarter to replace Gabbert (concussion).“He was fantastic,” first-year coach Mike Vrabel said. “He cares about this team immensely. He wants what’s best for this team. You saw him come in there, get us some first downs and give us a spark.”Mariota wore a partial glove on his injured right hand and did just enough to upset the Jaguars. He completed 12 of 18 passes for 100 yards and ran for 51 more, including a 15-yard gain on a third-and-1 play late that allowed the Titans to milk the clock.MISSING STARTERSThe Jaguars finished with 232 yards and 12 first downs while playing without running back Leonard Fournette, left tackle Cam Robinson and right guard A.J. Cann. Fournette missed his second straight game with a strained right hamstring. Robinson was lost for the season last week, and Cann sat out with a triceps injury.“It’s tough anytime you don’t have your guys out there,” Bortles said. “It is difficult when you are playing with guys that aren’t necessarily in the rotation all the time.”TURNING POINTMarrone’s decision to try a fake punt early in the game proved costly.Corey Grant was stopped on the fourth-and-4 play, giving Tennessee the ball near midfield and leading to Ryan Succop‘s first field goal.“I always regret decisions that don’t work,” Marrone said. “I just wanted to be aggressive early and had the look.”