Preseason Week 2 2016, Jaguars vs Buccaneers: 5 Things

The Jaguars will take on the Buccaneers in their second preseason game of 2016. Here's 5 things to keep an eye on while watching the game!
By Jordan de Lugo - @jordandelugo

1. Can the Jaguars last two 1st round picks make an impact?

Jalen Ramsey and Dante Fowler have yet to make an impact on the field in an in game situation. Both have been impressive on the practice field, but Ramsey missed the first preseason game of the season while Fowler was rendered ineffective for the few plays he was out there against the Jets. Both will get some action tonight, it would be a great preview for the future of the Jags if these two could make some sort of impact on the game against a talented Buccaneers offense.

2. Can Luke Joeckel play well against a talented Bucs front?

Against the Jets in week one the Jags were forced to start Joeckel at left tackle because Kelvin Beachum was still not ready to go. Well, nothing's changed in the last week on the Beachum front - he's still out and Joeckel is still starting. While Joeckel has been mostly unimpressive in practice, whether he be at tackle or guard, in the Jaguars first preseason game against the Jets Joeckel played surprisingly well. In practice against the Bucs this week Joeckel struggled a bit with the inside move of Noah Spence. If Joeckel can get past his practice struggles and play well for a second straight week, that would be huge for this Jaguars offense.

3. How will the secondary hold up against Evans and Jackson?

The Bucs have one of the scarier combos in the NFL when it comes to deep threats. Both Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson are tall, strong receivers that can make big plays in a moments notice. Watch to see how the Jaguars secondary handles the talented duo. Who will cover Evans? Will it be Ramsey? House? Amukamara? It'll be fun to watch and it will be a great test for this secondary that still hasn't played a game together as a full unit. 

4. Will the run game be effective for a second straight week?

Against the Jets Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon looked like they had been running together for years . . . of course it was just preseason against a vanilla defense, but it was a good start nonetheless. On 10 combined carries the two rushed for 52 yards and a score. If they can keep it up again this week against the Bucs then this running game will be one step closer to being for real. 

5. Will the Albino Tiger make an appearance?

Despite missing time at the beginning of training camp, the Albino Tiger (Marqise Lee) has had the best offseason/training camp of his career. He had one of the better games of any receiver in the league in week one of the preseason hauling in 4 passes for 49 yards catching every target that came his way. He looked like the dynamic player that we all know he can be. If Lee can string together back to back impressive performances it will go a long way towards building his confidence  and the confidence in the coaching staff.