Not long ago, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer said
the team was in search of a spark
. As cliché as it sounds, he isn’t wrong. Sometimes, that’s all you need, a little push. Against the Arizona Cardinals, the Jags had several sparks, safety Andrew Wingard’s interceptions, specialist Jamal Agnew’s historical missed field goal return, and so on.
Early in the third quarter, Jacksonville had the lead. It’s possible that they thought they had the game in the pocket. Or maybe they just don’t know how to close games yet. After all, they’re a young team in the process of trying to figure things out.
Regardless of the reason, the Jags lost their third game of the season and 18th straight dating back to last year. Nobody likes to lose but the silver lining is this young Jaguars team will use the loss to the Cards as a learning experience. They could apply the lesson as soon as their Week 4 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincy is favored to win the game by eight points. On the other hand, they will be missing a couple of key contributors. This is something the Jags must take advantage of if they want to pull the upset. Also, they need to do the following three things.
1. The Jacksonville Jaguars must run the ball early and often.
Good things happen when you give running back James Robinson the ball. The Illinois State product totaled 1,414 yards in his rookie campaign and has shown in 2021 that it wasn’t a fluke. He’s currently averaging a staggering 5.2 yards per carry.
Against the Cards, Robinson had a season-high 15 carries and racked up 82 yards and one touchdown. On the other hand, the Bengals’ can stop the run. They are allowing 3.3 yards per carry and have given up just one rushing touchdown. Even if Robinson doesn’t find success early in the game, the Jaguars can’t abandon the run. They need to have balance and can’t afford to become one-dimensional.
2. The Jacksonville Jaguars can’t turn the ball over against the Bengals.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence arguably had his best game of the season in Week 1, at least statistically speaking. Against the Houston Texans, he threw three touchdowns and three interceptions. In the last two games, he’s thrown just two touchdowns and four interceptions.
Not all of the interceptions are his fault but Lawrence is aware he needs to cut down the number of mistakes. In the infamous “whirly bird” play, he should have thrown the ball out of bounds instead of attempting the high-risk pass. It’s true that left guard Andrew Norwell’s questionable spin also played a role in the play’s lack of success. That’s why the whole team and not just the rookie passer has to play better.
The Jaguars’ offense ranks at the cellar of the league in lost turnovers with nine. On the other hand, they’ve logged just one, Dewey’s interception against the Cardinals. Don’t expect to win many football games turning the ball over at that rate.
Meanwhile, the Bengals’ defense ranks seventh in points allowed and 11th in forced turnovers with four. On the bright side, they will be without safety Jessie Bates, who is out with a neck injury. Also, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie is listed as doubtful with a groin injury, so Cincy will not be at full strength.
It may be difficult but the Jags must keep the number of turnovers down. They don’t even have to be turnover-free. Just avoid letting them get out of hand.
3. The Jacksonville Jaguars must contain running back Joe Mixon.
The Bengal’s defense presents a tough challenge for the Jaguars’ defense. On one hand, they must stop running back Joe Mixon. Last season, the 2017 second-round pick had no trouble shedding the Jags, toting the rock 25 times for 151 yards and reaching the end zone twice. He’s currently averaging 4.2 yards per carry and is second in the league with 286 rushing yards (Derrick Henry is first).
On the other hand, Jacksonville can’t devote all their attention to stopping Mixon. Joe Burrow is far from an upper-echelon passer right now, but he isn’t a slouch either. The former LSU Tiger has been very accurate this season, completing 70.7 percent of his passing attempts. If the Jags load up the box, the Bengals’ wide receivers could find favorable matchups. Then again, Tee Higgins has been ruled out for the game, so the Jags’ secondary can focus on slowing down rookie sensation Ja’Marr Chase, who has hauled in 22 receptions for 220 yards and four touchdowns.
Cincy ranks 17th in points scored, and Burrow has thrown four interceptions in three games. The Jaguars were able to contain the Cardinals’ high-scoring defense in Week 3. Every game is different but if they can once again play at a high level and force one or two turnovers, the Jags will have a legitimate shot to beat the Bengals. They had a chance to earn their first win of the year against Arizona but squandered it. They can’t do the same against Cincinnati.