One Jaguars starter on offense had one of the best plays of anyone in Week 1 and he didn't even have the ball in his hands

Jaguars TE Brenton Strange gets his first pancake of the year

It started out as a game that was far too close for comfort, considering how bad a team the Panthers were last year and will likely be in 2025. But it quickly became obvious that the Jags would have to get the job done in Week 1 by running the ball. That meant that Strange would get to hit some guys, and trust me, he loves to run block and lay the wood on defenders. He did it plenty in Week 1, but none bigger than the pancake he had that should be making the rounds on Twitter right about now.

On a run play that saw Strange line up on the left side, he then basically executed a kick out block, where he traveled across the offensive line at the snap to tape out the opposite edge rusher to create a better lane for the running back. And, he did just that, as he knocked the rusher flat on his back. He then proceeded to stare down the rusher as he lay on the ground.

It was a pretty awesome block, and easily the best pancake block of the season so far. But, there is also an issue with this play. The stare down on the defender is part of the reason why running back Tank Bigsby didn't get as much yardage out of the play as he would have liked. If Strange does what he does to the edge rusher, and then instead of staring him down, moves on to the next player who's hitting the gap, there is no telling how big of a run it is for Bigsby.

Either way, it was one hell of a block, and it's the type of play that just goes to show you how new head coach Liam Coen has his guys playing. Strange is one of those tight ends that was built to run block, and he did just that. Now, don't get me wrong, he can catch the ball, too. Strange led the Jaguars in receiving yards with 59 yards on four catches.

Next week, the Jaguars will play the Cincinnati Bengals, who likely will have a terrible run defense in 2025. Strange could get a chance to lay more defenders out.

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