Joe Burrow doesn't want the Cincinnati Bengals to be timid when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
After leading an offense that had only 7 net yards and went three-and-out on five of six second-half possessions last week at Cleveland, Burrow has a game plan in mind as the Bengals look to go 2-0 for the first time since 2018.
“I think I’m going to be a little more aggressive to maybe get out of pocket and make some plays. Just like every game, you want to get out and see how things are going.
I’m going to be ready to adapt for whatever we see," Burrow said.
Rolling out to find either Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins would add another element to Burrow's game. Burrow was 10 of 17 on designed rollouts last season and was 25 of 48 when forced to scramble.
Chase is also looking to bounce back after having only two receptions for 26 yards last week. It was only the fifth time in his career he's had two or fewer catches.
Cincinnati will be facing a Jacksonville defense that forced three turnovers in its 26-10 victory over Carolina.
“I think their front is very disruptive. It feels like I say that every week, but they have a lot of guys that I respect on that front and they came up with some big-time defensive plays,” Burrow said.
The Jaguars, under first-year coach Liam Coen, are also looking for their first 2-0 start since 2018.
Jacksonville's defense had a low blitz rate last week but pressured the quarterback on 40% of dropbacks, the 10th-highest rate in the league.
“He can get it out. You’ve got to take some of the air out of the coverage, and it’s hard to give him a ton of space, but it’s feast or famine," Coen said about Burrow. “You go up and press him, you get too much on him, who knows what it could be, and it’s just one of those combinations."
It will be the third matchup between Burrow and Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence. Burrow was the top overall pick in 2021, followed by Lawrence one year later.
It's only the second time since the College Football Playoff title game in 2020 — when Burrow's LSU squad beat Lawrence and Clemson — that the two have faced off in the NFL. Burrow and the Bengals won the 2021 meeting 24-21. Burrow missed the 2023 game due to a wrist injury.
The Bengals held Cleveland to 2.0 yards per carry last week in their 17-16 win. They now face a Jacksonville offense that put up 200 rushing yards and did not allow a sack against Carolina.
Coach Zac Taylor said the biggest emphasis this week is again trying to win the turnover battle.
“Jacksonville leads the league right now in that margin. They’re first; we’re tied for second. So I think that goes a long way in deciding these early-season games, the discipline aspect of all of this stuff,” he said.
Two-way star Travis Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner from Colorado and the second pick in the NFL draft, will see more defensive snaps in his second game. Coen said the team plans to continue expanding Hunter’s usage.
Hunter played six defensive snaps against Carolina, a run-first team with Chuba Hubbard. He caught a team-high six passes for 33 yards on offense while playing 42 of 66 snaps on that side of the ball.
“The goal is to increase and continue to increase,” Coen said. “It just so happens that we’re playing Cincinnati with two good wideouts this week.”
Burrow said there is limited tape on Hunter playing defense for the Jaguars, but that there is a base of knowledge from when Hunter played defensive back at Colorado.
“His ball skills are obviously great. That’s why he’s playing offense too, and he just continuously made plays it seemed like in big spots, so I got a lot of respect for what he did and how he did it and I’m excited to watch him in the league,” Burrow said.
Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen needs two sacks to match Tony Brackens' franchise record of 55. Hines-Allen came close to taking down Carolina’s Bryce Young in the opener but couldn’t get him on the ground.
“The better the team, the more details we have really have to have up front,” Hines-Allen said. “It was a good start and a good building point moving forward.”
Coen had great success with screen passes as Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator, and he called six screens in the Jaguars' opener.
The Bengals' defense got plenty of work facing screen passes last week, when Cleveland called 12.
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