Cincy Jungle
It feels so much better to go into Week 2 1-0 than 0-1. Regardless of how the Bengals’ offense played in the second half in Cleveland on Sunday, a win is a win. Now, the Bengals have plenty of room for improvement and are still 1-0 heading into Sunday’s Week 2 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars are also 1-0 entering Sunday’s game, with a 26-10 home win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. Their head coach, Liam Coen, was one of just two head coaches to win his debut with his new team in Week 1.
Coen is one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL. The Jaguars made a questionable decision to hire him as their head coach, but through one week, we’re seeing why Coen has been successful everywhere he’s been as an offensive coach.
The Bengals and Jaguars had played two great games over the last four seasons. Joe Burrow played a near-perfect second half against Jacksonville in Week 4 of the 2021 season, leading the Bengals back from a 14-0 deficit to a 24-21 win on Evan McPherson’s game-winning field goal. With Burrow sidelined with a wrist injury for the Week 13 matchup in 2023, Jake Browning completed 32 of his 37 passes for 354 yards in the Bengals’ 34-31 overtime win that came on a 48-yard game-winning field goal from McPherson.
Sunday’s game could be another great game between these two teams. It’s only the second matchup between Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence in their respective NFL careers. Both quarterbacks are former No. 1 overall picks and national champions in college. Burrow’s LSU Tigers beat Lawrence’s Clemson Tigers in the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship, a game that gave birth to Smokin’ Joe and amplified his personality.
Let’s take a closer look at Lawrence and four other key players to watch on the Jaguars ahead of Sunday’s game.
Lawrence is one of the most interesting and mysterious quarterbacks in the NFL. He’s had some highs and lows through his first four seasons, but there’s no doubt he can play the quarterback position at a high level. He had back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023, the former season when he led the Jaguars to the AFC South title and a 27-point comeback win in the Wild Card against the Los Angeles Chargers. Not to mention, he and the Jaguars had the Kansas City Chiefs on the ropes in the Divisional round.
Before anyone says that last season proved who Lawrence really is, let me remind you that he missed seven games and that the Jaguars were a mess the entire season. Now, enter a new head coach, offensive coordinator, general manager, and executive vice president, and the culture has completely reset in Jacksonville.
Lawrence is closing in on 14,000 passing yards in his career, and he has 10 games with 300+ passing yards. This shouldn’t be shocking....
