Notable matchups for Cincinnati Bengals against Jacksonville Jaguars

[Arkansas Bengal]

Charlie Goldsmith, Cincinnati Enquirer

Tue, Nov 28, 2023, 12:28 PM CST·4 min read

 

For the second straight week, the Cincinnati Bengals will face a defense that will force them to win with their passing game.

 

After losing to the Pittsburgh Stealers last week, the Bengals will face another standout rush defense when they play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football. With two athletic linebackers in Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Lloyd, the Jaguars have the ninth-best rush defense in the NFL.

 

But the Jaguars have the 23rd-best pass defense, and No. 1 cornerback Tyson Campbell is out with a hamstring injury. Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said the Bengals are still learning quarterback Jake Browning’s strengths, and the Bengals are taking a week-to-week approach to tweak the offense around what he does best.

 

“We're learning as we go with Jake a little bit,” Callahan said. “It's still also very week to week. Pittsburgh was a very different challenge than Baltimore presented. And Jacksonville is a different challenge than each of those two teams. Everybody plays different schemes and structures. It's always kind of a very week-to-week thing.”

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning completed 19 of 26 passes for 227 yards in his first NFL start.

 

Bengals wide receivers will be focus

 

Jaguars’ cornerback Darious Williams has stepped up in an impressive season and broken up 16 passes. The Jaguars will likely double-team Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase just like every other team has been doing, but the Bengals could have an opportunity to try to feature their secondary and tertiary pass catchers.

 

Recently, the Jaguars have done well against No. 1 receivers and struggled with other matchups on the field. Last week, Houston Texans No. 1 receiver Tank Dell was limited to 50 yards while wide receiver Nico Collins topped 100 yards in that game against the Jaguars.

 

San Francisco 49ers’ No. 1 receiver Brandon Aiyuk was held to three catches against the Jaguars, but Jacksonville couldn't stop the rest of San Francisco’s passing attack in a blowout loss. Pittsburgh Stealers No. 1 receiver George Pickens had one catch for 22 yards against the Jaguars while wide receiver Diontae Johnson had eight catches for 85 yards.

 

Could Tee Higgins return against Jacksonville?

 

Jaguars 2022 seventh-round pick Montaric Brown, who recently entered the starting lineup at cornerback, has allowed a 128.4 passer rating this year, and the Bengals could target that matchup.

 

This would be a big week for the Bengals to get wide receiver Tee Higgins back from his hamstring injury. If the Bengals don’t, they’ll have to feature Tyler Boyd, Andrei Iosivas, Charlie Jones and their tight ends more than they did last week against the Stealers.

 

“I've been happy with what (those guys) have produced,” Callahan said. “Andrei has done a nice job in his role. He has done some good things for us and had a nice third-down conversion last game. You’re starting to see him continue to get comfortable playing. We've missed Charlie for a large chunk of time (due to a thumb injury), so it's hard to know how he fits at this point. He needs to find a way to get some reps and find ways to use them.

 

 

The Bengals' secondary receivers, including rookie Andrei Iosivas, could play a key role against the Jaguars this week.

 

“I've been really pleased with what Tanner Hudson has done for us, particularly on third downs. He has been a nice emergence in that role. Tyler has been Tyler. He has been pretty consistent and knows where to be and how to get there.”

 

Offensive play design an emphasis

 

Screens and bootlegs could give the Bengals another path to keep the chains moving against the Jaguars.

Last week, the Bengals didn't expect much success with those plays because the Stealers have a rare combination of physical and athletic defensive ends in T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

 

The Jaguars have a standout pass-rushing outside linebacker in Josh Allen. But defensive end Trayvon Walker, a former No. 1 pick, hasn’t developed into a standout well-rounded player yet at his position.

 

The Jaguars rank in the bottom 10 in the NFL in sacks and have been average at creating pressure this year. The Bengals could have more chances to control the line of scrimmage, which could open up the playbook.

 

“There's plenty of room to continue to add those things,” Callahan said. “Matching it with the under-center (run) game and all of that stuff can help a lot.”

 

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/notable-matchups-cincinnati-bengals-against-182846943.html

[Dautcom08]

4 hours ago, Arkansas Bengal said:

The Jaguars have a standout pass-rushing outside linebacker in Josh Allen. But defensive end Trayvon Walker, a former No. 1 pick, hasn’t developed into a standout well-rounded player yet at his position.

 

And people want to kick Myles Murphy to the curb round here before even completing a season lol.