Jaguars 24, Saints 20: 18 Unanswered After Chandler's Kick Return

August 15, 2026 - New Orleans - Ty Chandler returned the opening kickoff 86 yards. Audric Estimé scored from 9 on the next snap. The New Orleans Saints led early, led at half, and still lost.

The Jacksonville Jaguars scored 18 unanswered points in the second half and left the Superdome with a 24-20 win. Trevor Lawrence did not play. Spencer Rattler lost a fumble on a strip-sack. Undrafted rookies finished the comeback.

Chandler, Estimé, then Wilson's half

New Orleans jumped ahead 7-0 before Jacksonville's offense took a snap that mattered. Estimé later left in the second quarter after a hit to the knees on a screen.

Zach Wilson, now on his fourth team since going second overall to the Jets in 2021, gave the Saints a reason to keep watching him as a backup to Tyler Shough. He went 11-of-16 for 145 yards and a short touchdown to rookie tight end Oscar Delp. He hit Bub Means for 27 and 37 and Barion Brown for 28 while leading a touchdown and a field goal late in the first half.

"Obviously, I'm here to compete," Wilson said. Kellen Moore called him a really talented quarterback who still has growing to do.

Rattler started as the projected backup and went 8-of-11 for 42 yards. Yasir Abdullah sacked him at the New Orleans 10 and forced the fumble that set up one of Cam Little's three field goals. "I just tried to make a guy miss," Rattler said. "I probably should have just thrown it away."

Aguilar to Pena, Taylor's go-ahead run

Nick Mullens started for Jacksonville and was 3-of-7 for 33 yards with an interception at the Saints' 4. Carter Bradley threw for 105 yards and a short touchdown to Hunter Long, plus an interception that set up a Saints score before half.

After the break, the Jaguars' undrafted group took over. Joey Aguilar's first throw of the night was a 43-yarder down the left sideline to Trebor Pena, who had dropped a potential touchdown earlier in the half. That set up J'Mari Taylor's 2-yard scoring run for Jacksonville's first lead. Taylor finished with 22 carries for 78 yards and the touchdown.

"Sometimes those are better when you don't have to think as much," Liam Coen said of Aguilar's deep ball. "You can just kind of let it rip."

New Orleans had two late possessions under fourth-stringer Hunter Dekkers. One ended in a punt. The last died on an incomplete pass as time expired on second-and-goal from the 2. Charlie Smyth also missed a 52-yarder wide right in the second half. Coen said there was "not a ton of positives in the first half" and liked the response after that.

AthX Engine, if this were a regular-season card

Apply the AthX Engine NFL scoring table to the box, not a live weekly leaderboard.

Wilson's 145 pass yards and touchdown is about 18 quarterback fantasy points. Taylor's 78 rush yards and score is about 26 running-back points. Chandler's 86 kick-return yards is about 4 return points before the Estimé handoff that finished the opening series. Preseason lines are not live weekly boards. Fantasy points are not share prices.

Track Lawrence and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: ESPN recap. Information only; not financial advice.*