Jerry Jeudy, Jordan Hicks highlight standouts vs. Jaguars

Greg Newsome II had a decent game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Newsome made three tackles and was targeted once during the game. Newsome’s addition to the dud list comes from his lack of effort on three plays throughout 53 snaps. The three plays resulted in the Jaguars’ three longest plays of the game. When points are rare, limiting yardage becomes the most valuable strategy.

Newsome’s worst play of the game was the deep ball to Jaguars’ rookie Brian Thomas Jr. Newsome did a poor job of staying with Thomas. He surrendered a lot of space while tracking the ball in the air. Newsome was greedy looking for an interception instead of watching the receivers’ hands and got burned for it. Newsome is a smart player and should know better.

Newsome is a great coverage corner, but the moment he needs to make a tackle, his speed, agility, and demeanor seem to evaporate from his body. Newsome’s lack of care in the run game allowed the Jaguars to have their largest gains on the ground. Newsome was content to hand-fight with Thomas on a Travis Etienne Jr. outside zone run aimed right at him. Thankfully, Ronnie Hickman Jr. chased Etienne down for a 20-yard gain. Newsome also refused to pursue Lawrence on his 33-yard scramble. The cornerback could’ve forced him out of bounds a couple of yards before he went out. The criticism is a little nitpicky, but Newsome must assuage concerns about his run defense. If he commits to playing run defense he can become one of the top cornerbacks in the league.