The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to start their first winning streak of the season. After easily defeating the New England Patriots in Week 3, the Jaguars will be traveling to Ohio to take on the Cincinnati Bengals, a tough opponent that could prove to be a real test for Jacksonville.
The Bengals have plenty of weapons that can make this a difficult game for the Jaguars, but they're also coming off a three-point loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jacksonville will be hoping for a win, not only to improve to 3-1, but to again silence the doubts from the league about how legitimate this team really is.
Here are five key matchups to watch.
Jaguars interior OL vs. Bengals DT Dexter Lawrence
Cincinnati is generating pressure on 39.7% of opposing dropbacks, fifth-best in the NFL, but is blitzing at the lowest
rate in the league. They are able to get to quarterbacks without having to blitz very often because their defensive linemen are creating pressure on their own.
Dexter Lawrence is a big reason why, and Jacksonville will need to keep him from collapsing the pocket up the middle the way Denver’s front disrupted Trevor Lawrence.
Travis Hunter/Jaguars CBs vs. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
Jacksonville’s defense has allowed 235.7 passing yards per game, ninth-most in the league, and explosive passes are still the most obvious concern in an otherwise strong defense. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has two legitimate No. 1-caliber receivers, with Higgins leading the Bengals at 244 yards through three games. Travis Hunter, meanwhile, is coming off his biggest defensive workload and first career interception.
Will Hunter and the other cornerbacks be able to contain two of the best, most explosive wide receivers in the league?
Bhayshul Tuten vs. Bengals run defense
Tuten is second among qualified running backs in rushing success rate, and leads the league in the percentage of carries where he reaches 15+ mph. Cincinnati, meanwhile, has allowed the sixth-highest explosive-run rate and the second-highest rate of carries gaining more yards than expected.
So despite Dexter Lawrence and the reputation of that front, there may be opportunities for Tuten to have another big game if Jacksonville can get him through the first level.
Travon Walker/Josh Hines-Allen vs. Bengals offensive tackles
Cincinnati’s line has protected quarterback Joe Burrow reasonably well overall, so Jacksonville likely needs to affect him without constantly blitzing. Burrow was excellent against the blitz last year, with a 115.8 passer rating, which is even more of a reason for Anthony Campanile to prioritize pressure over the blitz.
Walker specifically is projected to be competing primarily against Amarius Mims, who has faced one-on-one rushes on 89.2% of his pass-blocking snaps and allowed pressure on just 5.1% of them — best among right tackles. Walker and Hines-Allen will need to turn in another strong performance and keep Burrow scrambling like they did with Drake Maye and the Patriots.
Jaguars WRs vs. Bengals secondary
Jacksonville’s passing game was distributed among multiple targets against New England. Parker Washington leads the team with 221 receiving yards, but Jakobi Meyers had a big game against the Patriots, and Lawrence has seven TDs through three games. Cincinnati’s secondary is currently dealing with some injury uncertainty: safeties Jordan Battle and Bryan Cook were limited Wednesday, while Kyle Dugger did not practice.
That could give Lawrence chances to attack intermediate and deep areas of the field, and continue showing off how good this wide receiver room is.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 5 key matchups to watch in Jaguars vs. Bengals in Week 4
