Jaguars Aim to Slow Bengals’ High-Powered Attack
The Jaguars have yet to be tested against an offense like the one in store for Week 4.
The Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) boast a star-studded crew that has propelled the team to put up 83 points through its first three weeks. The Bengals rank No. 13 in the NFL in passing offense (232 yards per game) and No. 15 in total offense (323.3 yards per game).
Through the first three contests, Joe Burrow completed 73 of 103 passes for 743 yards, maintaining a 70.9% completion percentage. He’s thrown for six touchdowns and taken care of the football with just one interception thus far. His 79.7 quarterback rating slots him sixth in the league.
“A ton of respect for the way he’s played throughout the course of his career … Anytime he’s across from you, you know that they have a chance,” coach Liam Coen said Wednesday. “The down’s just never over … You might think you have him bottled up, and then all of a sudden he extends, breaks out, and now there’s a whole other play that occurs. And you have to rush and cover relentlessly through the echo of the whistle.”
Burrow isn’t doing it alone. Cincinnati entered the season with the No. 3 wide receiver corps in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, and the group has proven the high honor right so far.
Ja’Marr Chase is one of the premier pass catchers in the league, and he’s looked like it this season. He was bogged down by a lingering knee injury in Week 1, but has been impactful since, recording 16 receptions for 173 yards and three touchdowns across the past two contests.
Just last week, he became the fourth-quickest player in NFL history to reach 7,000 receiving yards.
“They have a ton of chemistry and continuity together, a lot of trust, a lot of accumulated reps … It’s hard to find better,” Coen said. “We got to be physical, we obviously have to have a plan in terms of awareness, situational, where is he, where are they going with the football in certain situations, but also tackling him. We have to be at our best with our pursuit angles, our clamp tackling, strain and effort to the football.”
It’s not just Chase the Jaguars have to worry about, though. Tee Higgins is another elite receiver who will challenge Jacksonville’s defense.
He’s been explosive so far this season, and his ability to consistently execute big, long-yardage plays has been nearly unmatched. Higgins averages an impressive 17.4 yards per grab, which ranks 10th in the NFL. In his first three games, he’s recorded 14 receptions for 244 yards and a touchdown.
In the backfield, the Bengals have running back Chase Brown. He’s rushed for 197 yards on 49 carries so far this season, placing him 13th in the NFL, and he added a touchdown against Tampa Bay.
The Bengals were one of just four teams to top Jacksonville in the regular season last year, and the group will certainly look for redemption.
“I thought we moved the ball well and did some good things offensively, just didn’t really finish the game the right way,” Coen said of last year’s performance. “Both teams are very different in so many ways … there’s so many changes that they’ve made from a personnel standpoint that have changed the way that the game is played for them.”
Category: Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
