JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars saw their rookie defensive ends play big roles in Sunday’s 35-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, with undrafted rookies Danny Striggow and BJ Green both making big plays throughout the blowout.
For Green, the highlight of the day came when he looked set to record the first sack of his career against Justin Herbert on a fourth-down at the end of the first half.
The violent sack, however, was taken off the board by the officials as a roughing the passer penalty. It seemed like a curious call because Green did not seem to land on Herbert with his full body weight, but the moment was taken away from Green regardless.
The Jaguars’ home crowd rained on the officials with a sea of boos after the play, which resulted in the Chargers punting to the Jaguars’ one-yard line instead of the Jaguars getting the ball at the Chargers’ 49.
It appears an NFL legend and future Pro Football Hall of Famer agrees with Jaguars fans, too.
Former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman J.J. Watt took to social media to stick up for Green on the play, noting that there was not much else the rookie defensive end could have done.
Green will likely get more opportunities moving forward after the Jaguars made Emmanuel Ogbah a healthy scratch in Week 11. The undrafted rookie out of Colorado has impressed the Jaguars since signing with the team after the draft, making the original 53-man roster and earning snaps on special teams as he fought his way to defensive snaps.
“Yeah, that was what Bill Sheridan, one of our defensive coaches, mentioned to me as I was walking in the looker room. Look at the amount of guys that contributed to this game, really if all three phases, because those injuries. That impact not just the defensive position, the corner back position. Now it impacts special teams and is asking other guys to move and maneuver and play more,” Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said on Monday.
“Christian Braswell stepping up, right? So many guys, BJ Green had the one deal with the penalty but he played his tail off. Striggow, those young guys obviously stepped up. It just speaks to the… they knew that we needed to respond. That’s really what it came down to. When you have guys out there playing for each other, playing for the greater cause and the team-first mentality, that’s what it was. Everybody was involved in it and I’m really proud of them.”
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