'Gritty, not pretty': Jaguars made plays they normally don't in win over Saints

NEW ORLEANS | The old Jacksonville Jaguars have left the building.

That much was evident in the team's 31-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints, a game that wasn't and didn't feel close for most of the contest. However, they buckled their chinstraps and won their fourth game in 19 days anyway.

It was a game that Jacksonville shouldn't have won, either. The odds were stacked against them. But, again, it didn't matter, they still won. That win didn't happen for the better part of two decades. That win shows what a team really is and can be.

It would have normally slipped away — but it didn't.

Tight game, doesn't matter: Jaguars squeeze past Saints 31-24 after Jekyll and Hyde showing by Jacksonville's offense

"In the past, these were the games we didn't win. These were the games we'd let get away or these were the games we'd let slip away. So, just for us to be able to come out and finish and be resilient, that means more than anything else to me," Jaguars seventh-year veteran OL Cam Robinson said in the locker room.

The Jaguars needed more than just a couple of good plays from their key offensive weapons. They got that. Jaguars running back Travis Etienne scored two quick touchdowns within the first three drives of the contest.

He set a franchise record for consecutive games with two or more rushing touchdowns three games in a row.

The Jaguars led the game 24-9 heading into the fourth quarter.

Still, with 6:38 remaining in the contest, the Jaguars had their backs up against the wall, now somehow faced with the reality that the Saints tied the ball game 24-24 and were looking red hot as the Jaguars offense totaled -5 yards in the third quarter punting or turning the ball over on downs on four out of five of their true possessions in the fourth quarter.

They never gave up and they showed heart and resilience, Robinson said.

"Never say never, bend but don't break," he added.

"We're gritty, not pretty," Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun said in postgame.

With several people banged up, including the team's starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Pederson knew this game on a short week, in a hostile environment wasn't going to be easy.

"We talked about it this week. It’s a 60-minute football game, and that’s what you’ve got to do. Guys own their jobs and do their role, and that’s all I ask them to do," Pederson said in postgame.

"They did that. Don’t do anymore or any less. I challenged them to be great. They don’t have to be perfect. Just be great. Have great passion, have great energy. They did that tonight.”

It took a bit more than just some resolve, though. The Jaguars had to rely on a few players who needed to step up in big moments.

Montaric 'Buster' Brown seals the win for Jaguars vs. Saints

The Jaguars of old were cast away last year, but there were still a few issues to resolve. One 9-8 season didn't dispel all of the woes the team has gone through in the past. As Robinson said, they normally wouldn't win these types of games.

It took more than just the players everyone knows and respects. It also took a player who was thrust into the starting lineup with just four days of prep to compete and win. Ultimately, that's exactly what Jaguars second-year corner Montaric 'Buster' Brown did Thursday night.

"Proved the haters wrong, it was a great game for me. It wasn't perfect, but I got the job done and it felt wonderful," Brown said in the locker room.

Filling in for starting corner Tyson Campbell, Brown was quickly targetted by the Saints, who matched the second-year corner on Chris Olave for much of the contest. In the first quarter, they went in Brown's direction, completing a 14-yard pass to Olave on Brown.

After that, the Saints didn't seem to have much breathing room. Olave ultimately finished the game with seven catches for just 57 yards. His longest catch of the day was the aforementioned 14-yarder.

"When plays happen on you, you gotta have amnesia," said Brown. "You gotta forget about it and keep going and if you can't do that at corner, you don't need to play corner. So I just had to have that mindset and keep going and trust my preparation."

On fourth-and-goal at the Jacksonville six-yard line, Saints QB Derek Carr tried to find Olave on Brown yet again. He did, but this time Brown broke the pass up, sealing the win for the Jaguars.

Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins praised Brown for the performance he put on against New Orleans.

"Next man up mentality. We had Buster Brown come in and [he] really played that spot like Tyson [Campbell] was still there. Hats off to him," Jenkins said.

Pederson echoed praise for Brown, saying he thought Brown did some good things Thursday night.

"He made plays when he needed to, and that’s the most important thing. Really proud of the way he played today," said Pederson.

The Jaguars' defense finished the game holding the Saints to just three third-down conversions out of 18 attempts. Though they were a bit leaky through the fourth quarter, they came through in the end.

Foye Oluokun leads the way, gives the Jaguars points in a critical moment

Though he isn't a player coming in in relief for another, Oluokun made a key play at a key time and it was something he hasn't done since high school.

With the game 17-9 in the Jaguars' favor with 7:00 left in the third quarter amid a reeling Jacksonville offense, Oluokun picked off Carr off of a deflection by cornerback Darious Williams taking the ball 24 yards into the end zone.

The score gave Jacksonville a 24-9 lead and a clear path to victory. Ultimately, the Saints never gained a lead, something they probably could have done had Oluokun not been in the right position at the right time, as he is wont to do since joining the team in 2022.

It was also the first turnover Oluokun has forced since becoming a Jaguar in 2022.

"My grandkids gonna see that one," Oluokun said with a laugh in postgame.

Oluokun's impressive play has been the talk on the Jaguars' sideline for some time now, Lawrence said after the game.

"I literally said to the guys, 'I'm glad that guy is on our team, I wouldn't want to play against him.' Smart as they come. Tough. I don't know that I've seen anybody that plays as hard as him. Every play is full speed, all out," said Lawrence.

"He's really smart, he's a great athlete, that's something that people don't really give him credit for. One of the leaders on our defense, gets guys going, brings the juice, always just has that switch that he can flip and he's always on every day and he's impressive to be around. I think now he's starting to get the credit he deserves."

Oluokun has led the team in tackles the last two seasons, his final season with the Falcons (2021) and last year with Jacksonville.

The Jaguars' defense was on the field for 18:54 in the second half of the game, but that didn't matter. Like Oluokun, one of their leaders, they went full speed and gave it their all and now will enjoy the fruits of their labor with a mini-bye week before traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in Week 8.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X,  formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars defeat Saints thanks to Buster Brown, defense and heart