Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Keep Your Enemies Close – 5 Questions with Stripe Hype

After two less-than-stellar outings, the Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping rookie quarterback Blake Bortles can right the ship and bounce back this week as they travel to Ohio and face the Cincinnati Bengals. Unfortunately, Bortles is facing one of the top pass defenses in the NFL, headlined by a talented secondary full of first round picks.

With a tough task ahead of the Jags, we visited our FanSided friends over at Stripe Hype to get some information on our opponent. Here’s what co-editor Matthew Wilson had to say:

1. The Bengals look like they could be without Giovani Bernard this Sunday. How will his absence affect the Bengals offense, and do they have anyone who can take over his role?

"Giovani Bernard is a big part of the offensive balance. He is a huge loss for this offense but not the only key running back the Bengals have. Jeremy Hill was drafted to be a compliment to Giovani Bernard. He will play a bigger role this week, even if Bernard does end up playing. If Bernard plays, it will be limited, but this is the game to rest him with a short week ahead."

2. Andy Dalton is one of the most polarizing quarterbacks in the NFL. How has he looked this season, and how does it relate to his overall development?

"Andy Dalton has his moments where everything he does is right, and then he can go the opposite way in very little time, as we saw from the Colts game. He finds comfort in being at home in Cincinnati and seems to play better when at Paul Brown Stadium. He has done a lot to try to get himself to the next level, including working with throwing coach, Dr. Tom House in the offseason. If he can get back to his form from week 1-3, this Bengals offense will be dangerous."

3. Geno Atkins was arguably one of the best defensive tackles in football before his injury last year. Has he worked his way back to that form yet?

"He has been a big part of this defense so far this year but he still looks a little hesitant to go full throttle. He needs to regain that confidence and find his pre-injury explosiveness because if he does, this defense’s pass rush would be the best in the game once more."

4. Which Bengals rookie could have the biggest impact in this Sunday’s game?

"Jeremy Hill will be the key to the run game this week. If Bernard can’t go, he will be the feature back and could see 75% of the snaps or more."

5. What’s your prediction?

"As good as the Jaguars defense has been lately, I expect this offense to be almost too much for the Jaguars. The Bengal defense might bend but not break and could hurt Bortles and this offense when they get into the red zone. Bengals win 31-13."