The final score already had its news cycle. Ameer Abdullah still earned a separate look.
The Associated Press recap on ESPN identified the 12-year veteran running back as a bright spot in the Jacksonville Jaguars' 34-17 home preseason loss to the Carolina Panthers on Friday night at EverBank Stadium. ESPN's account credited Abdullah with 82 total yards: six rushes for 45 yards, including a 23-yard run, plus three receptions for 37 yards.
The play that looked like camp, only louder
On the 23-yard spurt, Abdullah juked cornerback Chau Smith-Wade in the flat, the AP wrote. Coach Liam Coen, quoted in that same ESPN/AP piece, said, "I thought he definitely showed up tonight," and added that it matched what the staff had been seeing in practice: "You talk about a pro's pro, a guy that just does everything right."
Those quotes matter because this feature is not a rehash of Carolina's 34-17 margin. It is a roster-battle performance brief. The AP noted Abdullah is competing with DeeJay Dallas and rookie J'Mari Taylor for work in a backfield where the Jaguars held out their starters for a second straight week.
What the rest of the night looked like around him
Backup Nick Mullens completed 6 of 7 passes for 65 yards and directed a 71-yard drive that produced a field goal, per the AP, a cleaner showing than his prior preseason outing. Jacksonville still committed nine penalties in the first half and two turnovers in the game, Coen's "just have to keep building" line sitting next to those mistakes in the AP story.
