Jacksonville Jaguars must keep these 5 Bengals in check

The Jacksonville Jaguars must neutralize these two Bengals on offense.

4. Joe Burrow, quarterback

It’s hard to tell how good second-year quarterback Joe Burrow is. Last season, he was part of a bad Bengals team that struggled to protect him. Regardless of how talented you are, you need to have decent protection to throw the ball. Burrow didn’t have that in 2020. In fact, an ACL injury cut his rookie season short.

In three games, Burrow has completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 640 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. The other side of the coin is that he’s been sacked ten times. The Jaguars’ defense must pressure him early on and force him into making mistakes.

5. Joe Mixon, running back

The Jags’ defensive front has shown progress against the run in 2021. In three games, they’ve given up 3.4 yards per carry and 115 rushing yards per game. While those numbers are far from great, it’s an improvement over last year’s average of 153 yards per game. However, Jacksonville’s primary goal in Week 4 will be to contain, running back Joe Mixon, who is second in the league in rushing yards.

Last season, Mixon ran wild against the Jaguars, toting the rock 25 times for 151 yards. What makes this frustrating is the fact that it was his only 100-yard game of the 2020 season. If the Jags can slow down the 2017 second-round pick, they will force the Bengals to become one-dimensional, which would then help them defend the pass better. It won’t be easy but if they do it, they could win the game.