How the Bengals defeated the Jaguars to save their season
The Cincinnati Bengals proved they are still in the game on Monday night, despite everyone else writing them off.
The Bengals had a 0–9 road losing streak and a 0–15 road primetime losing skid going into Monday night’s game.
Not any longer!
Like me, Jake Browning silenced a lot of doubters. After watching his performance the previous week, I had hoped that McCarron would at least have a chance. However, he showed that he is a guy to be trusted, and who knows—maybe this season will be his chance to prove the Bengals wrong.
To be honest, there wasn’t much that he didn’t accomplish or show off. He made plays, scrambled when needed, remained composed, and stayed in the pocket.
The fact that he is acting like a professional is the best aspect of it.
A few weeks back, Rich Eisen discussed Jake Browning with QB consultant Jordan Palmer, who used to be Carson Palmer’s brother and the backup quarterback for the Bengals. He dissected Browning’s style of play, his approach to the game, and his use of opportunities.
Jordan forewarned all about Browning’s upcoming contests.
However, once again, the offensive line plays a major role in quarterback success. We have witnessed numerous games, including this one involving the Bengals, in which the offensive line performs poorly, and the result is typically a loss. The Bengals line needed to improve because they invested a lot of money in this group and haven’t shown it. Although Burrow’s injury is regrettable, we would all prefer to have Burrow under centre despite that performance. However, the offensive line proved it
Again, bravo to Zac Taylor for persevering under intense criticism. The Bengals came out with a slight change in play-calling after a besieged fan base for the past two weeks begged for it.
Though not flawless, advancement is nonetheless advancement. They continued with the run game, dispersed the ball, and enlisted additional players.
Chase Brown demonstrated his ability. He performed in a way that was undoubtedly eye-opening, finding the gaps and hitting them.
Eight individuals, including five with at least 30 yards, recorded a reception for the Bengals, and two backs had at least 60 rushing yards. Brown gave the Bengals clear reasons to reject him. He demonstrated speed, agility, and explosiveness.
But let’s examine the other side as usual. Despite having 10 fewer carries than Mixon, Brown only lost seven yards. Given that Mixon found the end zone twice on Monday night, imagine what would happen if Brown had a few more carries. This is in no way meant as a criticism of Mixon. Brown is the ideal partner for Mixon.
After the game, Brown behaved like a seasoned player and gave his offensive line the respect they deserved, which impressed me. They created gaps that allowed
Mixon had returned to his former self. It’s not always a negative thing; people want to watch Mixon dash for 100 yards, and they might not get their wish. Because of his versatility, the Bengals use him in every situation. With two touchdowns, he had 117 yards of total offence.
The receivers are one of the Bengals’ most reliable players, if not the most reliable member of the team. They were all over this game. Even though the Bengals used multiple receivers and spread the ball around, Ja’Marr Chase was still able to gain nearly 150 yards and a touchdown.
However, going forward, ensure that the receivers are only catching the ball and not tossing it. That was an unsuccessful experiment.
To be selective about that performance, the defence is the one thing I found disappointing about the game. They stood up at significant times, but there are still some issues that need to be resolved. They gave up more than 300 passing yards, but they managed to contain Travis Etienne Jr., a talented rushing back, to 50 yards.
Lou Anarumo must figure out how to make the coverage more stringent. The receiver was considerably too open in a number of plays, including the one in which Christian Kirk was hurt.
Stats are facts, yes, but you also need to consider the big picture. Overall, the defence performed admirably. The distance following the grab wasn’t very great. They did a decent job at tackling. Under Lou, this defence has the potential to be a strong one once a few adjustments are made.
In terms of turnovers, they remain among the top five. They are capable.
Now, whether you believe in Monday night’s game or not, the Bengals still have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs if they can continue to play precisely like that and possibly even a little better. not merely an imaginary chance, but a real chance.
Although the Bengals still have a very difficult schedule ahead of them, they are playing really well and will visit the Colts next week despite the absence of their starting quarterback, Jonathan Taylor, and their backup quarterback, Garner Minshew.
Following that, they take on the Vikings, who will probably start Justin Jefferson, one of the best receivers in the league, after he has missed more than a month playing because of a hamstring injury.
Next, a second rivalry game, this time featuring the Steelers’ backup quarterback.
The Bengals host the Browns, who also have a backup quarterback, to close up the regular season with maybe a lot on the line. After that, they travel to Arrowhead to play the Chiefs in one of the finest rivalries in the NFL.
