Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio spoke to the media Thursday September 2, 2010 about their final pre-season game, were they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 13-9.

It was an evenly matched contest between two sets of second-team offenses and defenses, and in Thursday night’s preseason game, neither produced much excitement. 

The Jaguars picked up a win, beating the Falcons 13-9 to finish the preseason 2-2. It was a big night for players on the bubble who had one last chance to impress coaches. 

“They’re going to make the decision in the next two days,” Jaguars receiver Tiquan Underwood said. “As players, we know we’re not all going to be here, but wherever we do land, just continue to push forward and grind.”

Blog: Final observations on Jaguars preseason, who gets cut and who stays

The Jaguars finished with 90 yards rushing. Sixteen of those yards came from fullback Brock Bolen, who is competing for a roster spot, on a touchdown run. Chad Kackert led the Jaguars with 46 yards rushing. The Jaguars’ leading receiver was tight end Zach Potter, who had two catches for 33 yards.

Related: Back on Monday, Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew says

Backup quarterback Luke McCown completed 5-of-12 passes for 39 yards. He had a passer rating of 50.3, less than half his passer rating in the first three preseason games.

Related: Jaguars QB Luke McCown struggles despite playing Falcons' reserves

“What’s important is that we establish a rhythm and move the ball, and we didn’t do that very well,” McCown said. “The experience for me is great, but you still want to be able to move the ball a little bit more. We’ve got to do a better job of that.”

Most of the Jaguars’ expected starters got the night off.

They wore teal shorts and white T-shirts as they watched the game from the sideline and gave the occasional tip to someone in the game.

Related: Jaguars Notebook: Hard to find starters on the field for Jaguars, Falcons

The Jaguars rested six offensive players slated to be starters and 10 defensive starters. Only cornerback Derek Cox remained from Jacksonville’s defensive starting lineup. 

On offense, center Brad Meester, left tackle Eugene Monroe, right tackle Eben Britton and right guard Vince Manuwai, who is in a battle for a starting job, but was listed as Thursday night’s starter, started the game. Justin Smiley started at left guard. 

“We had a couple of starters play tonight,” Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. “We have to toughen them up and get a little more work in. We played our first-team offensive line tonight. I thought they needed that offensively. We just want to be sharp with all of the work we’re getting.”

Photo Gallery: Jaguars vs. Falcons final preseason game

The offense took some time to get going. The Jaguars were outgained 116 yards to 9 yards in the first quarter. Neither team scored during that quarter, but the Falcons managed five first downs while the Jaguars managed none. At halftime, Jacksonville had just 16 receiving yards and could have had more were it not for a deep drop by Underwood. Underwood is unlikely to be cut, but that and a later drop stung the second-year player.

“No excuses whatsoever,” Underwood said. “I gotta make a play for my quarterback, and I didn’t do that today. I told Luke right after I owe him one.”

The Jaguars have to cut their roster to 53 players by Saturday night.

Their roster stands at 75 after cutting four, adding one and putting defensive tackle D’Anthony Smith and center John Estes on injured reserve. 

“I was telling my mom earlier that this is one of the closest teams I have been around,” tight end Marcedes Lewis said. “Obviously, it’s a business, and this is the time of the year where you are going to see some of your friends leave especially because the depth is so crazy.”

If history is an indication, the Jaguars’ even preseason record is a good sign for the franchise. 

Every time the Jaguars have had losing preseason records, they’ve followed with losing regular-season records. Meanwhile, in nine of the 12 seasons Jacksonville has finished the preseason with a winning or .500 record, they’ve also had winning or .500 regular-season records. 

“It’s very exciting whenever you have the opportunity to start a new season and you’re still playing,” Jaguars quarterback David Garrard said. “It’s even more this season. With the weapons we have and the kind of team we have that Gene [Smith] and Jack have put together, it really has a good feeling in this lockerroom, and I know it has a good feeling around town.”

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Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who declined interview requests earlier in the week, said Thursday night he will be ready to return to practice Monday after missing the final two preseason games.

Jones-Drew didn’t play last Saturday in Tampa Bay or in Thursday night’s 13-9 victory over the Atlanta Falcons and hasn’t practiced for the past two weeks.

Related: Preseason ends with a Jaguars victory as both teams rest starters

“I will be back Monday doing everything I need to do to get ready to beat Denver [in the season opener],” he said.

Although the Jaguars and Jones-Drew’s agent denied a report that he underwent knee surgery, they aren’t required to give out injury reports during the preseason, and they haven’t said exactly what sidelined him. And Jones-Drew said he was getting “rehab,” but didn’t specify what injury he has been rehabbing.

Blog: Maurice Jones-Drew calls out "false reports" about his health

“After having a tough offseason, OTAs, a tough training camp, obviously I wanted to be out there with my teammates, but we felt the best thing for me was rest and rehab and getting my body back right, taking care of all the nicks and bruises,” Jones-Drew said. “I feel great. I can’t wait to get out there and play Denver. They are the first hurdle in our road to success, and I can’t wait to get out there.”

Of the speculation about his injury, Jones-Drew said,  “It’s been a big mess over nothing.  There have been some false reports out there about what happened, which is fine. People are going to speculate, but that is not going to hurt anything that happens with this team.  More than anything else, guys understand.  They want me back. I want to be back, and I will be back on Monday.”

Related: Jaguars QB Luke McCown struggles despite playing Falcons' reserves

Jones-Drew wouldn’t have played against Atlanta even if he had been healthy because the Jaguars rested nearly all of their starters.

The Jaguars have to cut their roster to 53 players Saturday, and Jones-Drew said,  “It’s always tough. Everybody says it, but I don’t think people really understand. This is the toughest part of the business. This last game is the toughest because you have guys that are fighting for jobs to feed their families. They have kids, or whatever it may be. This game pretty much relies on it.  It can change the financial problems for your family in a blink of an eye.”

Jones-Drew will find out Saturday how many running backs will make the final roster. Rashad Owens is the backup, and Deji Karim will make it as a kick returner, even though he has thumb injury. Montell Owens will make it as a kick returner. But then things get complicated.

Related: Jaguars Notebook: Hard to find starters on the field for Jaguars, Falcons

Brock Bolen could beat out Greg Jones if the Jaguars keep only one fullback. Jones is considered one of the best blocking fullbacks in the league, but he is due for a $3 million base salary, plus a $100,000 roster bonus. By contrast, Bolen is scheduled to make $395,000, so the Jaguars  would save almost $3 million by keeping Bolen over Jones.

Bolen had a 16-yard touchdown run before suffering a hamstring injury Thursday.

Photo Gallery: Jaguars vs. Falcons final preseason game

The Jaguars will have to decide if they want to keep Jones, who had to come in and play after Bolen went down.

Del Rio said Bolen will be ready to play next week.

Del Rio didn’t rule out keeping both Bolen and Jones.

“I think we can [keep both]. I think we just have to decide what we want to do.  … The toughest decisions are numbers we’re going to keep at various positions,” Del Rio said.

Blog: Final observations on Jaguars preseason, who gets cut and who stays

A factor in the decision is how much the Jaguars plan to use a fullback. If they emphasize the passing game and feature the tight end, they won’t use a fullback that often.

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It might be the only NFL passing title Luke McCown wins.

But the Jaguars’ backup quarterback added just 39 yards to the total that had led the NFL entering the final week of the preseason in the Jaguars’ 13-9 victory over Atlanta on Thursday at EverBank Field.

The offense struggled in the first half with McCown running the show, save for two short scoring drives set up by the defense. McCown completed 5-of-12 passes and had a passer rating of 50.3.

Related: Preseason ends with a Jaguars victory as both teams rest starters

The Jaguars led 10-6 at halftime, with Trevor Harris taking over in the second half.

McCown was disappointed in his production while getting an entire half of work as the starter.

“It was a slow start,” he admitted. “Things felt good out there, but you’d like to establish a rhythm a little sooner. We had a chance to convert some third downs, and those are momentum-changers. We need to convert those. It would have changed how we started.”

Blog: Final observations on Jaguars preseason, who gets cut and who stays

McCown entered the game leading the NFL in preseason passing yards with 472. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers (470) didn’t play, and the next two behind McCown, Washington’s Rex Grossman (446) and Seattle’s Charlie Whitehurst (425), played in games with late starts.

“You want to do well and want to prove you can play, and there’s no doubt in my mind I can play,” McCown said. “But you also understand it’s the preseason, and you understand the situations you’re playing in. Still, the name of the name of the game is to perform.”

McCown will return to his spot behind starter David Garrard when the Jaguars open the regular season Sept. 12 at home against Denver. McCown finished the preseason with 511 yards on 39-of-64 passing, with six TD passes and two interceptions.

Related: Jaguars Notebook: Hard to find starters on the field for Jaguars, Falcons

“I was happy with the preseason,” McCown said. “There were instances where I could have played better. … I’m not happy with the way I played tonight. With the standard I set for myself, I could have played better. There’s a lot of work to do, but I’m happy with where I am and where the offense is.”

Despite playing behind four of the five offensive line starters and facing an Atlanta defense that started only four first-team players, McCown was 2-of-7 for 11 yards midway through the second quarter. The offense had three three-and-outs in their first four possessions.

Photo Gallery: Jaguars vs. Falcons final preseason game

The defense provided the spark. Courtney Greene recovered a fumble at the Atlanta 39 and Brock Bolen scored from 16 yards out to give the Jags a 7-3 lead. The Jaguars took over at their own 47 on the next possession. McCown’s 16-yard pass to Ernest Wilford set up Josh Scobee’s 40-yard field goal.

Related: Back on Monday, Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew says

“I’m really happy with the way they responded after the turnover,” McCown said. “We got in the huddle, and the line was revved up, and there was some intensity, some fire.”

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Some final thoughts after Jaguars' backups closed out the preseason Thursday night with a 13-9 win over the Atlanta Falcons backups at Everbank Field:

• It certainly didn't look good that wide receiver Tiquan Underwood had two critical drops on deep balls, including one on an underthrown pass from Luke McCown in which he had to come back to the ball. Underwood, a seventh-round draft pick in 2009, is probably in a battle with another speed receiver, Troy Williamson, for the fourth or fifth receiver slot. I'd still give the edge to Underwood for two reasons. One, he's four years younger than Williamson and has more upside. Secondly, he has shown a more consistent ability to get separation. And let's not forget that Underwood is a Gene Smith draft pick, and he may not want to give up on his speed receiver just yet.
• Fullback Brock Bolen, an undrafted free agent, continued to impress with a 16-yard run for the only touchdown of the game. He's going to be a difficult decision because Bolen would likely not stay long on a practice squad before somebody claimed him. "Uhhh, we'll take a look at it," coach Jack Del Rio said when asked about Bolen. "He's certainly in the hunt." That's an awkward issue for Del Rio because it's no secret to anybody that starting fullback Greg Jones, who will make $3.1 million this year, is one of his favorite players. The guess here is that the Jaguars reluctantly cut Bolen and keep Jones, but the temptation to save a lot of money is intriguing.
• Underwood was self-critical of his two drops, and refused to blame McCown for underthrowing the ball on the first one. He only had about a half-yard separation on the second deep ball that went through his hands, but was certainly no easy catch. "No excuses," Underwood said. "I got to make a play for the quarterback. I got to come down with that ball. To be an elite receiver, you got to make plays. I got my opportunities. I didn't make them today."
• Special teams continues to be the biggest shining light in preseason. Josh Scobee is getting touchbacks off a majority of his kickoffs and is 9-for-9 on field goals in preseason. Scotty McGee maintained his habit of having at least one big return in each preseason game, getting a 30-yard punt return that he almost broke for a touchdown. "I should have cut back all the way against the grain from the start," McGee said. He suffered a stinger in his right shoulder on a sideline hit on another return, but said X-rays after the game showed "everything's good."
• A lot of uncertainty about who will win some backup jobs along the defensive line. It appears Attiyah Ellison, Leger Douzable, Walter Curry, Jeremy Mincey and Jeremy Navarre will be battling for two backup spots at tackle. Ellison won a job last year in training camp after being signed off the San Francisco 49ers' practice squad, but has regressed this camp. Douzable, who was cut by the St. Louis Rams, has made the same kind of move in this camp that Ellison did last year and might steal a roster spot.