The Bengals snuck out of Cleveland with a narrow win over the Browns to start the year 1-0. Now, in their home opener, they were looking to start 2-0 for the first time in the Zac Taylor era. In their way… the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It was a bad start for the Bengals on the opening drive, where Lawrence was able to complete two consecutive 18 yard passes to Brown and Thomas, respectively. Along with a handful of shorter pickups, these helped the Jaguars advance the ball deep into Cincinnati territory. The drive was then capped off by a 9 yard strike to Brown.
7-0 Jaguars.
With their lead intact, the Jaguars were again marching down the field on their next drive. It was a poor display for the Bengals defence, who gave up multiple plays of 20+ yards. However, a Trey Hendrickson pressure off the edge proved to be disruptive enough, as Lawrence’s throw was off the mark, and provided Dax Hill with an easy interception.
The Bengals rode the momentum of the turnover. Chase Brown ran for 11 yards out of the gate, and Burrow found Ja’Marr Chase for 13 on the next play. The chunk yardage kept coming for the Bengals, as Burrow then completed his pass to Noah Fant for 25 yards. They continued forward, eventually ending up with a 3rd & goal situation from the 4. Burrow took the snap, and found Chase on the quick slant to tie up the game.
7-7.
Cincinnati’s lead didn’t last too long, as the Jaguars were again able to sustain their drive and go down the field. This one consisted of a number of short pickups, before Etienne ripped off a 30 yard run. A couple of plays later, Lawrence checked it down to Tuten, who made Cam Sample miss and proceeded to walk into the end zone.
14-7 Jaguars.
The next drive was one that proved to be disastrous for the Bengals. The interior of the offensive line was having problems, and Burrow was commonly having to evade pressure. Unfortunately, he took a sack and picked up a toe injury during the process. This knocked him out for the remainder of the game. Jake Browning filled in.
After a Bengals punt, Jordan Battle was able to take advantage of a tipped ball, picking it off inside Jags territory. A sack stalled the drive, but they were able to come away with 3 points via an Evan McPherson 31 yard field goal.
14-10 Jaguars.
Jacksonville added a field goal of their own, and the Bengals were looking to put more points on the board before the end of the half. They were inside Jacksonville territory, in field goal range, but on 3rd down, Browning was picked off.
17-10 Jaguars at the half.
The Bengals got the ball to start the second half. Leaning on Ja’Marr Chase, Browning found him for gains of 25, 12, and 12 yards respectively, as they advanced deeper into Jacksonville territory. It was good to see the star receiver hitting his stride, but those big plays were later overshadowed by a spectacular one handed TD catch by Mitchell Tinsley. The Browning-Tinsley connection picked up where it left off in the preseason. It was a 13 yarder to tie the game up once again.
17-17.
A 3 and out by the Jaguars allowed the Bengals to get the ball back with a chance to take the lead. However, Browning threw his second interception of the game. With a short field, the Jaguars found the end zone for a third time in the game. It was Lawrence to his former college teammate, Etienne, for an 11 yard score.
24-17 Jaguars.
Unfazed by the mistake, the Bengals kept themselves in it. A solid return by Samaje Perine, along with a 15 yard unnecessary roughness penalty, set up the Bengals inside Jags territory. On the third play of the drive, Browning found an open Tee Higgins deep down the sideline for a 42 yard TD.
24-24.
After the Jaguars kicked a field goal to make it 27-24, the Bengals offence couldn’t get going. They went 3 and out on one drive, and Browning threw his third pick of the game on the next one.
Despite the mistakes, the game was still in reach, and suddenly, the defence was able to come up clutch. They forced a punt on one drive, and then made a critical 4th down stop on the next. The Jaguars had the ball on the Cincinnati 8 yard line, needing 5 for a 1st down. A TD would have come pretty close to icing the game, but the defence kept them in it.
Starting at their own 8, needing a field goal to tie it, the offence went to work. They faced an early 4th down. And at this point, they still had three timeouts, so punting was an option. But Zac Taylor kept the offence out there, and Browning found Chase Brown out of the backfield for a 13 yard gain on 4th & 3.
The drive continued, and they faced yet another 4th down. This time, the pass fell incomplete. However, a pass interference call on the rookie, Hunter, extended the drive one more time, and advanced the ball 25 yards. A 16 yard pass to Chase and a 10 yard pitch and catch to Mike Gesicki were the two biggest plays from that point onwards. The pass to Gesicki set them up at the Jacksonville 11 yard line. By this point, it wasn’t just about the field goal to tie the game. They were looking to win it.
A little later, the Bengals ended up at around the 1 inch line. Surely they couldn’t mess this up, right? Well, they were on the doorstep, but had to back it up 5 yards thanks to an offsides penalty on Dalton Risner.
After a couple of short gains, the Bengals got back to where they were before the penalty, facing 3rd & goal. Jake Browning ran the QB sneak, opting to jump over the pile. It was a little risky, as the ball could have been punched out, but he broke the plane, giving the Bengals their first lead of the day with 18 seconds left in the game.
The Bengals were able to hold on, as the Jacksonville hook and ladder attempts were unsuccessful.
31-27 Bengals – FINAL.
The Bengals improve to 2-0 on the year. It was a gutsy win where they led for only 18 seconds. But it did not come without a cost, as it seems like the team will be without Joe Burrow for the next few months.
With a 2-0 cushion, the Burrowless Bengals will try to stay afloat until he returns to the lineup. Their first task will be a road game next week in Minnesota, where they will take on the Vikings.
