Zac Taylor has never won a Week 2 game. How can the Bengals beat that trend and the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend?
Stop the Run
The Bengals run defense really stepped up in Week 1. The Browns may not be the same as they used to be in the trenches, but anytime you can hold a team to 2 yards per carry, you are doing something right.
This week, they face a Jaguars team that ran for 155 yards in Week 1. The vast majority of those yards came from Travis Etienne, a 2021 first round pick who may finally be on the verge of a breakout. This will be a huge test for the Bengals’ front 7. They cannot afford to let Etienne average nearly 9 yards per carry, like he did a week ago.
Start Fast on Offense
It’s pretty simple, really. The Bengals offense needs to come out swinging. They need to score on the first drive and the second drive, for that matter, and force the Jaguars to play catch-up.
This will help out the defense by limiting the number of rushes they face.
We’ve seen a shootout between Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence before, and that worked out pretty well for the boys from Baton Rouge. Make them play our game.
Get Your Dudes Cooking
Last week, Joe Burrow threw for a mere 113 yards. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins had five catches for 59 yards combined.
That can’t happen.
The Bengals put a lot of money into making sure that trio stays together; they need a lot more production out of them to win games.
Notably, Jacksonville has stated that Travis Hunter will see more action on defense this week. It is time for Chase and Higgins to give him his “Welcome to the NFL” moment.
Secondary Play a Primary Concern
Of course, if we are inviting Lawrence to throw the ball, we will need to see some excellent play out of the defensive backfield.
The Jaguars have some talented pass catchers in wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and tight end Brenton Strange.
The Bengals have a lot of talent in their defensive backfield, but there is still some uncertainty.
The Michigan boys, Dax Hill and DJ Turner, played well in Week 1, while Cam Taylor-Britt struggled. Even the normally player-positive Zac Taylor has thrown out a challenge to Taylor-Britt to back up his words and be the player he says he is.
Safety duo Jordan Battle and Geno Stone look much improved from a year ago. Battle made some great plays, but consistency is a concern.
This group needs to work on finding itself this week.
Under Pressure
The best way to help the secondary is to bring the heat on the defensive front. Scoring a lot of points on offense will allow Trey Hendrickson to be unleashed, but he can’t do it alone.
I would love to see more of Shemar Stewart inside this week. They did that a lot in the preseason, but kept him mostly on the outside in Week 1. Having Stewart pressure from the inside will make it tough on Lawrence and create negative plays.
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