Brenton Strange — Week 2: Two Catches, Seventeen Yards

Nothing to nothing, 13 seconds left in the first quarter, first and 10 at the Jacksonville 39. Trevor Lawrence threw short left to Brenton Strange for 14 yards to the Denver 47. +1.0 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 2.5 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it. The drive ended in Bhayshul Tuten's touchdown, Jacksonville's only one of the day.

The line: two targets, two catches, 17 yards, one first down, +2.0 expected points on the targets. The second catch was three yards on first and nine at the Denver nine with 10 49 left in the third quarter, to the six, and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Alex Singleton moved it half the distance to the three. Jacksonville got no closer and kicked a field goal. A third catch does not count: second and 13 at the Denver 28 in the second quarter, 10 yards to the 18, wiped out by Parker Washington's illegal shift. One target before halftime, one after.

Two of 29 throws. Washington had 12 and Brian Thomas eight, and Strange's two tied Tuten for third on the team. Among the tight ends, Quintin Morris had one catch for seven, and a seven-yard catch by Nate Boerkircher came back on a Denver offside.

Back in June the preview's case for Strange was the target column — five a game last season, climbing each year, on a new contract — with availability, about 65 percent for his career, as the harder ask. Week 1 was three targets and a touchdown. Sunday was two. He has been on the field both weeks, which is the first condition, and five targets in two games is half of last season's rate. With 20 of 29 throws going to two wide receivers, there was not much left to share. Two games settle little. Jacksonville is home to the Patriots on Sunday the 20-seventh.

_Data via nflverse._