Jacksonville Jaguars: Studs and duds from disastrous loss vs Bengals

For the second consecutive week, the Jacksonville Jaguars were close to winning a football game in 2021. And once again, they couldn’t close the deal. The Jags had a chance to beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football but their offense couldn’t score in their last possession and the defense wasn’t able to stop Cincy’s offense from marching down the field and making the winning field goal.

Head coach Urban Meyer was visibly frustrated after the game. In a sitdown with the local media, he hit the podium after being told the Jaguars dropped the game in spite of not committing a turnover.

As frustrating as the Jags’ most recent loss was, there are reasons for encouragement. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is developing quickly. Although he didn’t throw a touchdown pass, he ran for one and didn’t turn the ball over. The former Clemson Tiger is also showing great pocket awareness and is using his legs often.

Moreover, the Jaguars finally remember they have a stud running back in James Robinson and have increased his workload in the last two games. Make no mistake, this team is getting better, even if the win-loss column doesn’t reflect it. Sure, there are still several things they need to work on. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have lost against the Bengals. Nevertheless, this is a young team that is aware the climb is steep and has their work cut out.

With that in mind, here are three studs and three duds from the Jaguars’ 24-21 loss to the Bengals.