Jaguars Nathan Rourke withstands multiple hits, throws miraculous TD with Cowboys defender draped on him

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nathan Rourke isn’t likely to start a game in the NFL this season. He’s not even a sure thing to make the cut for the 53-man roster.

But he moved himself closer to the cut line with a miraculous touchdown play against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. Rourke bounced off a bevy of hits and held up with a defender on him to deliver a strike downfield.

All Qadree Ollison had to do was haul it in while coming down in the end zone.

.@nathan_rourke did his best Mahomes impression 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TcxQzDmOe7

— NFL (@NFL) August 13, 2023

To have survived any of the hits he took on this play on their own would’ve been impressive enough. Not to mention staying upright with a massive defensive lineman hanging off him. And to have the wherewithal to look downfield and find a receiver is next-level stuff.

Mahomes-ian indeed, even if it came against backups late in the fourth quarter of a preseason game.

And it ended up being a decisive shot as the Jaguars won, 28-23, to start off the preseason.

The Cowboys got some bad news on the injury front during the game, too

Local product Malik Jefferson got some snaps on Saturday but was quickly derailed with an injury. He went down with an injury in the second half and did not return.

Sideline reporter Hailey Sutton was able to provide an update on Jefferson, saying he has been ruled out of the game. Jefferson attempted to get back onto the field, working his right foot according to Sutton. Unfortunately, the linebacker was in too much pain and will not ply for the rest of the night.

“Malik Jefferson has officially been ruled out of the game with what they are describing as a foot injury,” Sutton said. “He went into the blue tent. We saw the medical staff grabbing some tape, taping it up. He then tried to do a little bit of backpedaling, a little bit of exploding off what looked like his right foot. But you could tell he was in a lot of pain. He has been ruled out for the rest of the game.”

Jefferson is from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, attending Mesquite (TX) Poteet. He was a five-star prospect coming out of high school and played his college ball with the Texas Longhorns. After originally being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, Jefferson is getting a chance with his hometown NFL team.

Dallas signed Jefferson back in February to a Reserve/Futures contract. He was with the organization during the 2022 season but was on the practice squad. Jefferson’s last action in an NFL game came in 2021 with the Indianapolis Colts.