Bengals prove to be too much for Jaguars: 3 takeaways on frustrating overtime loss

The Jacksonville Jaguars got off to a hot start on Monday Night Football, forcing the Cincinnati Bengals to punt on their first possession. They then proceeded to score on their first possession. However, things went sideways afterward.

While the Jags had a 14-7 lead in the second quarter, they let Cincy tie the game and later get ahead on the scoreboard 21-14. From there, Jacksonville struggled to put down what was supposed to be a lesser opponent. Cincinnati never gave up and took the game to overtime. To make matters worse, the Jaguars lost Trevor Lawrence and Christian Kirk, among other players to injuries.

With Lawrence unable to go, C.J. Beathard tried to end the game in overtime. He had a nice throw to Calvin Ridley that got the Jags to the Cincinnati two-yard line but a holding penalty by Anton Harrison wiped out the gain. They then punted the ball not long after. Cincinnati then put together a 12-play, 42-yard drive that ended on a 48-yard field goal by kicker Evan McPherson.

With McPherson's field goal, the Bengals won the game 34-31 in overtime. Here are three observations form the loss on Monday Night Football.

3. Parker Washington stepped up in light of Christian Kirk's absence

The Jaguars offense had a bit of trouble adjusting after Christian Kirk left in the first quarter with a groin injury. Although the Jags went on to score on the same drive Kirk got hurt, they were somewhat inconsistent. They punted in their following possession. Also, right before and after halftime, they had the chance to put points on the scoreboard but instead let the Bengals get ahead on the scoreboard to make it 21-14 in the third quarter.

Maybe that's the wake-up call the Jags needed because they went on to tie the following drive, with rookie wide receiver Parker Washington playing a huge role. First, he had an 18-yard game and later reached the end zone on a 14-yard reception. This was his first career touchdown.

Before Week 13, the former Nittany Lion hadn't registered an offensive stat, being relegated to punt returns. Heck, he was a healthy scratch in the first three games of the season, and later spent time on Injury Reserve. Besides stepping up in Kirk's absence, he recovered a fumble C.J. Beathard lost in the fourth quarter.

In the end, Washington made the most of his chances and came through when called upon, catching six catches for 61 yards. Not bad for the first time he gets playing time on offense. Granted, he muffed a punt in the third quarter but he managed to recover it, so it wasn't as bad as it could've been. If Kirk misses extended time, expect the rookie wideout to see extended time in the upcoming weeks.