NEW ORLEANS — The Jacksonville Jaguars overcame a 20-6 deficit with a dominant second-half performance, beating the New Orleans Saints 24-20 in their 2026 preseason opener at Caesars Superdome on Saturday behind relentless defensive pressure and a ground game that found its footing after halftime.
Jacksonville’s defensive line set the tone early, with linebacker Yasir Abdullah recording a strip sack of Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler in the first quarter. Defensive end B.J. Green II recovered the fumble at the Saints 7-yard line, setting up kicker Cam Little’s 32-yard field goal. “Rattler, he’s a shifty quarterback, so he spun out,” Abdullah said. “I slipped a little bit, but Coach Camp always emphasizes, ‘The ground is a hot stove.’ I got right back up and made the sack.”
Third-year defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro and end Danny Striggow combined for a sack to force a punt, while third-round rookie defensive tackle Albert Regis added a 14-yard sack on quarterback Zach Wilson in the third quarter and undrafted free agent defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. recorded a fourth-quarter sack.
The Jaguars’ offense came alive after halftime under Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski, who handled playcalling duties. Third-team quarterback Carter Bradley completed four of four passes for 34 yards on a 79-yard, 10-play touchdown drive to open the second half, capping it with a 1-yard scoring pass to tight end Hunter Long. Head Coach Liam Coen praised Udinski’s composure. “I thought Grant did a nice job kind of settling in at halftime,” Coen said. “I have been in those moments where not a lot is working and you are frustrated and you do not have a ton to go to, and it was really like let’s just go downhill … I thought he did a nice job of mixing it up when he needed to. He was calm, cool and collected. I was happy for him.”
Undrafted free agent running back J’Mari Taylor, a University of Virginia product, powered the comeback with 32 yards on four carries on the first touchdown drive, including runs of 10 and 13 yards. The Jaguars rushed for 89 second-half yards after managing just 29 in the first half and finished with 275 total yards. The go-ahead score came after undrafted rookies Joey Aguilar and Trebor Peña connected on a 43-yard pass down the left sideline to the Saints’ 2-yard line — Aguilar’s first pass of the game. Taylor punched in a two-yard touchdown on the next play for a 24-20 lead. “Sometimes those are better, where you don’t have to think as much, you can just kind of let it rip,” Coen said of the deep shot.
Rookie sixth-round wide receivers CJ Williams and Josh Cameron started with most veterans sitting out. Williams caught two passes for 28 yards and Cameron added one catch for 19 yards. “It was a lot of fun to kind of carry the mantle while some of those vet guys didn’t play today,” Williams said. “To go out there and start an NFL game is a pretty good feeling.”
First-year cornerback Jabbar Muhammad sealed the win with a pass breakup on second-and-goal from the Jaguars’ 2-yard line on the game’s final play, denying Saints quarterback Hunter Dekkers and wide receiver Jalen Cropper. “I’m not surprised,” Green said of Muhammad. “I knew Jabbar in college. He has been like that. Everybody’s just now noticing. I knew exactly what he was, what he was capable of. All props to him, but those are the things you expect from guys that step up to the plate like that.”
The Jaguars return to Jacksonville for continued training camp ahead of their Preseason Week 2 matchup.