Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 stats that define infuriating loss to Bengals

3. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ back seven couldn’t stop the Bengals.

Ok, so the Jaguars’ defense couldn’t rush the passer, but how about the back seven. They surely stepped up to the challenge and stopped the Bengals’ passing attack, right? Optimally, that would have been the case but quarterback Joe Burrow carved Jacksonville’s secondary in the second half of their Week 4 matchup.

Even without Tee Higgins, the Bengals’ wide receivers proved to be too much for the Jaguars’ back seven. Ja’Marr Chase hauled in six receptions for 77 yards and looks like an early candidate to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Tyler Boyd caught nine passes for 118 yards. Moreover, tight end C.J. Uzomah, who had a season-ending injury last year, chipped in with five receptions for 95 games and two touchdowns.

After Week 3, the Jaguars traded cornerback C.J. Henderson for tight end Dan Arnold. While the latter contributed, the team could have used Henderson. Rookie Tyson Campbell started opposite Shaquill Griffin and allowed seven passes for 158 yards and on eight receptions. Tre Herndon, who made his 2021 debut in Cincinnati, committed a costly holding penalty in the last drive that gave the Bengals a fresh set of downs that allowed them to kick the winning field goal.

If that wasn’t enough, linebacker Myles Jack had a bad game, giving up four receptions, a 100 completion rate, and one of Ozumah’s touchdowns.

The silver lining is that Griffin played at a high level, allowing just 16 total yards in three receptions. You can’t just focus on the negatives, even if they outnumber the positives by a wide margin.