Jaguars vs Bengals Week 2 Review
The Bengals defeated the Jaguars 31-27 in a wild rollercoaster of a game. The Jaguars started out hot, marching right down the field on their opening drive for a touchdown. The defense forced a 3 & out, and the Jaguars were marching again. The momentum was all in favor of the Jaguars until Trevor Lawrence threw a gut-wrenching interception in the end zone, leaving the drive with no points.
Once the Bengals tied up the game, all eyes were on the new-look Jaguars to see how they would respond. They responded emphatically with an 8 play, 75-yard touchdown drive to go up 14-7. Shortly after this, Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the game. This was the Jaguars' chance to take control of the game and momentum.
As we know by now, nothing ever comes easy for the Jaguars. On the ensuing drive, Trevor Lawrence threw another interception that swung the momentum in the other direction. The turnover was caused due to wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. stopping his route too early, a pattern that would repeat itself later in the game.
After exchanging field goals, Jacksonville went into halftime with a 17-10 lead. This quickly changed, however, as the Bengals drove down the field to tie the game up at 17. The offense failed to respond, going 3 & out before getting a massive break thanks to the defense forcing a turnover. Determined to not let a 2nd chance go to waste, the offense took full advantage of the short field to retake the lead. The Bengals would not go away, scoring in just 3 plays on a 42-yard touchdown to Tee Higgins.
After driving down the field, the Jaguars kicked a field goal to go ahead 27-24. The defense then forced a punt and interception, giving the offense a chance to close out the game. Despite having the ball at the Bengals' 12-yard line, the offense came away with zero points on the drive. Liam Coen opted to go for it on 4th down, failing to convert after a drop from Brian Thomas that summed up the game. Close but not close enough. Jake Browning proceeded to drive 92 yards to win the game for the Bengals, dropping Jacksonville to 1-1 on the season.
The Good
Despite suffering a heartbreaking loss, there were a lot of good things that came out of this game. Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten both had excellent games, combining for 113 yards on just 22 carries. They also came up big in the passing game, with both scoring a touchdown at critical moments in the game. The same was true for the other side of the ball as well, with the defense allowing just 48 yards on 17 carries. With Brian Thomas and Travis Hunter not having big games, somebody else needed to step up, and both Parker Washington and Dyami Brown did just that. Combining 10 receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown, both receivers played a massive part in the offense playing as well as they did.
Travis Hunter saw a significantly increased workload in this game, playing 81 total snaps, with 42 coming on offense and 39 coming on defense. While he did not record any eye-popping stats, this was a stepping stone into his large role and getting acclimated to the NFL physicality. The offensive line was excellent once again, giving Trevor Lawrence a clean pocket nearly the entire game. The additions on the interior have given the run and pass blocking a major boost that have paid dividends so far.
Liam Coen called an excellent game, showing aggressiveness and creativity throughout the game. This was evident on third down, where the offense went 6-13, controlling the time of possession and extending drives in critical spots. The offense in total recorded 400 yards and 27 points. In spite of the penalties and turnovers in this game, the improvement is clearly there.
The bad
The defense was the biggest culprit of the game, giving up 31 points and 350 total yards, with the majority coming against backup quarterback Jake Browning. Ja'Marr Chase caught 14 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown. The defense had no answers for him. As good as the run defense was, it was equally as bad against the Bengals' passing attack.
Brian Thomas Jr. had another rough day, catching only 4 passes for 49 yards. Thomas was shying away from contact all game, causing accurate throws to lead to incompletions or turnovers. He also dropped the critical 4th down that likely would have ended the game. Trevor Lawrence played a very good game but also had a backbreaking red zone turnover that cost the offense points. This would have put the Jaguars up at minimum 10-0, but instead they got zero points, and the Bengals tied the game on the ensuing drive.
Through two games, the Jaguars are once again leading the league in drops with 8. None of them were bigger than Dyami Brown's dropped touchdown that would have given the team a 31-24 lead. While the penalties were not as big of an issue in this game, having just 6 in the game, they still resulted in multiple stalled drives. 5 of the 6 penalties were illegal shifts, all in the first half. It goes without saying that this cannot happen, especially when the offense was moving the ball consistently.
Conclusion
With a 1-1 record through two games, the team has looked excellent at times and struggled at others. With the hated rival Houston Texans coming to town, the Jaguars have an opportunity to retake charge of the division and atone for their previous mistakes. How will they respond to their first gut punch? We will find out on Sunday what this team is really made of.