Joe Burrow won the direct duel of the last two number one picks against Trevor Lawrence. Burrows Cincinnati Bengals beat Lawrence’s Jacksonville Jaguars 24:21 thanks to a brilliant comeback in the second half. A field goal at the last second brought the decision.
A missed field goal and three punts before the break, three touchdowns and a field goal to win in the last second in the second half: After a completely screwed-up first half, the Bengals got the third thanks to an impressive increase in performance in the second half against the Jaguars Victory secured in fourth game of the season.
A 44-yard pass from Burrow (25/32, 348 YDS, 2 TD, 3 ATT, 4 YDS) to rookie Ja’Marr Chase (6 REC, 77 YDS) immediately after half-time started the hosts’ run. Shortly thereafter, tight end CJ Uzomah (5 REC, 95 YDS, 2 TD) carried a short pass from Burrow over 22 yards into the end zone, bringing Cincy to 7:14.
After a three-and-out by the Jaguars, Burrows Bengals cruised down the field over 86 yards, Joe Mixon (16 ATT, 67 YDS, TD) equalized with a run from the one-yard line. With a rushing touchdown from James Robinson, the Jaguars took the lead again in the final quarter, but Cincinnati, which was unstoppable in the second half, responded promptly. Burrow found Uzomah again with a short pass, and the tight end scored again after a catch-and-run.
With a fourth-and-four at the center line, Jacksonville’s head coach Urban Meyer decided to punt 5:40 minutes before the end. The Bengals took over at their own 10-yard line and marched deep into the opposing half again. A 25-yard pass from Burrow – once again to Uzomah – put Cincy in the field goal range a minute before the end of the game.
Four seconds before the end, Evan McPherson (1/2 FG, 3/3 XP) took on the decisive field goal and sank his kick from 35 yards away. It was already the second game winner for the rookie this season.
NFL: Jaguars dominate the first half against Bengals
The Jaguars had dominated the game in the first half. After a punt at the start, McPherson missed a field goal from 43 yards away on the home team’s first drive. Jacksonville scored a touchdown on two of his next three drives, Lawrence found Laviska Shenault (6 REC, 99 YDS, ATT, 11 YDS) with a spectacular pass at full speed over 50 yards.
First James Robinson (18 ATT, 78 YDS, 2 TD, REC, -2 YDS) ran through the middle into the end zone and let two defenders get out on his run. Shortly thereafter, Lawrence (17/24, 204 YDS, 8 ATT, 36 YDS, TD) kept the ball on a read option and increased the lead to 14-0.
A minute before half-time, Meyer let play a fourth-and-goal at the one-yard line: Lawrence kept the ball again, but this time with a pitch option, and was stopped by Logan Wilson just before the end zone. This stop a few centimeters before the touchdown line should prove to be decisive for the game.
The Bengals receive the Green Bay Packers this coming weekend. The Jaguars meet the Tennessee Titans at home.
Cincinnati Bengals (3-1) – Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4)
Result: 24:21 (0: 7, 0: 7, 14: 0, 10: 7) BOXSCORE
Bengals vs. Jaguars – the most important statistics
- So far, the season hadn’t gone according to the Jaguars’ ideas. Against the Bengals, however, Jacksonville found its way into the game better than in all previous encounters: The guests not only scored more points in the first half (14), they also won more first downs (15) than in any first half of 2021.
- One of the main reasons for the Jaguars’ good start was the surprisingly convincing running game. Jacksonville ran an average of 5.5 yards per run in the first half. Previously, the Bengals had not allowed more than 3.6 yards per run in any game. The Jaguars finished the game at 4.6 yards per run.
- CJ Uzomah caught two touchdowns in the second half. It was his first game with more than one touchdown in the NFL.
- Cincinnati’s race to catch up has been a rarity in recent franchise history: The Bengals have only won one of their last 31 games, in which they were at any point 14 points behind. Now the balance in such games is at least 2-30.
- The defeat marked Lawrence’s fourth bust in his fourth NFL game. The first round pick of the last draft as a professional has already lost as many games as it did in high school and college. Lawrence had lost two games in both high school and college.
The star of the game: Joe Burrow (Quarterback, Bengals)
Close win by Burrow over Lawrence, both on the field and in an individual comparison of the two top talents. Burrow distributed the ball flawlessly and found the right answers both against Zone and against the Jaguars’ Blitzes, mostly via Tyler Boyd (9 REC, 118 YDS) or Uzomah. The big highlight throws did not materialize, but Burrow moved the ball consistently well through the air. In the second half, Jacksonville found no answers to the Bengals passing offense.
The flop of the game: the Jaguars pass defense
It’s hard to pick a particular player from the guests defense, in the second half the Jaguars defense was dismantled by Burrow as a group. The defensive line received far too seldom pressure against the Bengals quarterback, and Jacksonville found no answer at all against the passes over the middle to Boyd and Uzomah. Tyson Campbell also allowed a 44-yard pass in the duel with Chase. Only Shaquill Griffin, who was able to close his side over long distances, should be positively emphasized.
Analysis: Bengals vs. Jaguars – the tactics board
- Jacksonville repeatedly called read options for Lawrence on short third downs, in which the quarterback kept the ball several times. On the guests’ second touchdown drive, Lawrence ran the ball himself three times for a new first down or touchdown. In the fourth down shortly before the break, the Jags changed the play slightly, Lawrence kept the ball on a pitch option and was stopped immediately before the end zone.
- An unusual picture presented itself to the fans shortly before half-time: Directly in front of his own end zone, Burrow faked the snap several times and accepted a delay-of-game penalty. The penalty wasn’t even half a yard, but the Cincinnati crowd didn’t go over it too well. Burrow was accompanied into the break with boos.
- Urban Meyer was aggressive in the first half directly on the opposing end zone and let a fourth-and-goal – unsuccessfully – play. Shortly before the end of the game, Meyer was more conservative: In a fourth-and-four at the center line, he let his team punt – the Jaguars never got the ball back.
- Cincinnati always managed to create big plays over play action, both with bootlegs where Burrow found Boyd and Uzomah for big plays and with quick passes over the linebackers in the middle. Boyd and Chase were both involved in the game several times.
- No team had a higher run rate at early downs than the Bengals in the first three weeks. Even against the Jaguars, Cincy repeatedly bet on runs at early downs – but not as often as in the previous weeks, also because the passing game worked so well in the second half. Cincinnati finished the game with 25 passes and 22 runs on early downs.
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