Anthony Campanile's defense just made a huge Jaguars statement vs. Bengals

Yes, I understand. The Jacksonville Jaguars allowed 414 passing yards during their 22-17 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, I'd like to inform everybody that Joe Burrow was letting it rip all day because he had to.

Throughout the entire day, Anthony Campanile's suffocating defense only allowed 23 yards on the ground. Cincy's running backs accounted for 17 of those yards, while Joe Burrow got the other six and scored a rushing touchdown on a QB sneak that looked more like a rugby scrum.

The LSU superstar and former No. 1 overall pick was left on an island that required him to carry his team from the pocket, and that seemed to be right where coach Camp wanted him.

The Jaguars coverages stopped Joe Burrow in his tracks time after time

The official box score shows that the Jags only picked off Burrow twice, but there was A LOT of laundry thrown on the field today. Jax was flagged ten times in the first half alone, but the referees' prolific activity wasn't enough to stop Campanile's coverage from stifling the Bengals' signal-caller.

Foye Oluokun and Jourdan Lewis used their veteran experience to jump routes and win their battles in the open field. Travis Hunter had a would-be interception (a sick ankle breaker) called back because of a roughing-the-passer penalty, but his presence was felt all day as he finally established himself as the team's No. 1 corner.

The game ended up being as close as it was because the Jaguars' pass rush could only get to Burrow twice. The seventh-year pro had a few drives that looked surgical at the start but stalled out for various reasons. It didn't help that the DB room took some hits before and during the game, but Jacksonville's 44-year-old DC was able to make it work and give his unit the tools they needed to bring the win home.

The Jaguars' defensive line disrupted the trenches all day

Of the 11 QB hits the Jags registered in Week 4, eight came from a defensive lineman. The big boys didn't get home as often as some fans would like, but they set the tone all day for sure.

Interestingly enough, none of the linemen registered more than two total tackles. That could be because Zac Taylor, Cincinnati's head coach and offensive play caller, only called 12 rushing plays that were designed to go to a running back all day. A six-yard scamper by Chase Brown was the team's longest run of the contest. His other eight carries went for four yards combined.

It's easy to see why a play caller would nip things in the bud as quickly as Taylor did from that perspective.

The Jaguars defense held the Bengals' playoff-caliber offense to less than 20 points

Jacksonville's passing defense has some stuff to clean up, but its scoring defense was able to absorb the best shots the Bengals had to offer. Campanile's unit put Burrow through one of the most frustrating 400-yard games we've seen in some time, as all of his yards only turned into 17 points on the scoreboard.

The 29-year-old had a chance to be a hero deep in the fourth quarter, but he checked the ball down on fourth-and-10 instead of throwing past the sticks to keep the Bengals' final drive going.

Anthony Campanile will be a hot name in the hiring cycle for his work with the Jaguars

As the season progresses, Campanile's ability to keep opposing offenses out of the end zone will make him a hot name in the upcoming coaching cycle. Interestingly enough, the Fair Lawn, New Jersey native has ties to Boston College and Michigan. The two Power 4 programs could be looking to make a change after this season if their current head coaches, Bill O'Brien and Kyle Wittingham, don't turn things around and finish with nine wins or better.

Before you roll your eyes and blow me off, Campanile started his career at Don Bosco Prep (NJ), a nationally ranked high school football program in his home state. Unsurprisingly, he took the old-school path to becoming a star coordinator in the NFL, and it's hard to see him turning down a big-time job like Michigan if it becomes available.

Of course, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be gearing up for a fresh coaching search as Todd Bowles tries to recover from the franchise's 0-4 start. Things haven't been the same in Tampa since Liam Coen left town, and coach Camp might be the guy they call to get things sailing in the right direction.

Whichever level of the sport he chooses, the football world is about to become Anthony Campanile's oyster. It will be a shame to see him go, but the defense's success after four games is a sign that Coen, Tony Boselli, and James Gladstone need to start preparing for the future.

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