The Jacksonville Jaguars were able to accumulate their third win of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals, who actually put up quite a fight. However, in the end, the Jags’ defense was able to force quarterback Andy Dalton into some costly mistakes, allowing the Jags to distance themselves and seal the deal. When looking back at the game in its entirety, it wasn’t pretty by any means, but at the end of the day, the team and fanbase will gladly take the final result.
After looking back over the game, here are three takeaways from the Jags’ hard-fought win at Paul Brown Stadium:
The Jags finally got the turnovers they needed out of their defense
A big part of the Jags’ issues were the lack of impact turnovers by their defense and they finally got that Week 7. The Jags won the turnover margin by a 4-0 ratio, snagging three picks and a fumble recovery on the day.
Of course, the most notable turnover was Yannick Ngakoue’s pick-six which occurred late in the fourth quarter when the Jags had a one-possession lead. During the play, Ngakoue was able to read the eyes of Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and intercept his errant throw (caused by Taven Bryan) to running back Giovani Bernard. Once he came down with the ball, there was nothing but green turf in front of him for the easy score.
On the next drive, safety Ronnie Harrison got in on the action by picking off Dalton on an attempt to receiver Tyler Boyd. With the interception occurring on the Jags’ 28-yard line, Harrison was able to stick a fork in a positive drive of the Bengals and help the Jags add another field goal to their total. He was also able to recover a fumble prior in the third quarter, which was the result of D.J. Hayden stripping the ball away from Boyd.
Defensive captain Myles Jack made a contribution to the turnover margin, too, taking advantage of another displaced throw to Boyd in the third quarter.
When considering all the turnovers that were caused by the Jags’ defense, they clearly deserve props for Sunday’s win because the offense simply wasn’t getting it done. If they are able to keep up their play, they’ll keep the Jags in a lot of games heading forward, which will be key if they are to make a push to win the AFC South.
The Jags’ offensive play isn’t going to cut it at the rate they’re going
While the Jags were able to win Sunday, they are very fortunate they were playing a Bengals team that showed the nation why they are winless. The Jags’ offense left way too many points on the board and had to settle for four field goals. Additionally, they weren’t able to cash in on a 1-yard rushing attempt from Leonard Fournette on the first series, turning the ball over on downs.
By the time the game ended the Jags’ offense only was able to garner one touchdown and they can’t expect that to get it done anymore. Any team with an adequate offense will be able to outscore the Jags heading forward and this is something Doug Marrone understands. In Sunday’s presser, the lack of offensive touchdowns was one of the first things he mentioned, so fans can bet their last dollar it’s something he’ll look to correct in practice this week.
When reflecting back on the game, a huge issue for the Jags has been their offensive line. They aren’t getting it done on the Jags’ most crucial downs whether that’s in pass protection or in short yardage run situations. Additionally, Gardner Minshew II is looking like a rookie and if he and the offensive line don’t get back to the level of play we saw late in the first quarter of the season, it’s going to be a long year.
Leonard Fournette has a historic day
While some of his yardage came tough and the offensive line didn’t block well in the red zone, Leonard Fournette still managed to turn in a solid day, finishing the game with 29 touches for 131 yards. His performance put him in elite company in terms of Jags history, making him only the second tailback in franchise history to post 900 plus yards through seven games alongside Fred Taylor.
Fournette also rushed himself into the No. 2 spot in the league in terms of rushing yards with 715 yards on the season. The only rusher to finish Week 7 with more yardage was Dalvin Cook, who currently has 10 more rushing yards to his name.
While the Jags have been inconsistent over the course of their last four games, Fournette has brought it pretty much every week. He’s embraced the role as one of the locker room’s leaders and is producing on the field, which is what it’s going to take if the Jags are to make a playoff push. Now, it will be a matter of getting his teammates to improve heading forward, especially in the offensive trenches.
