The Cincinnati Bengals continue to have the same general problems week in and week out as they sit at 0-2-1 heading into their fourth matchup of the season. However, there are still a host of players to watch for the Bengals in their Week 4 matchup with the Jaguars.
It will be interesting to see if quarterback Joe Burrow can finally get the first win of his NFL career. Another aspect to follow is if Burrow will continue to look towards wide receiver Tyler Boyd as his top target, with tight end C.J. Uzomah not on the field and wideouts A.J. Green and John Ross not performing to the level they were expected to.
The Jaguars are a very beatable team, coming off two consecutive losses, the most recent being a 31-13 fall to the Miami Dolphins. Here are three players to watch as the Bengals aim for their first victory of the 2020 season.
Three Bengals players to watch against the Jaguars in Week 4
Offensive line
This year’s unit almost looks beyond saving as the front five have allowed Burrow to be brought down a whopping eight times on Sunday. In previous games, the offensive line saw Burrow sacked at least three times each, for a total of 14 times over the first three games.
Burrow has displayed a great amount of mental toughness throughout both his college and NFL career up to this point, but while that’s respectable, at some point you have to come back to the physical aspect. Burrow can’t keep taking hits like the one Malik Jackson delivered to the rookie quarterback in Week 3, as that’s not sustainable week-after-week.
Related | How do the Bengals fix their offensive line in 2020 and beyond?
It would be a shame to see a promising rookie ruined early on, and that’s exactly what Cincinnati is looking at if the offensive line can’t improve. Exploring trades, drafting offensive lineman early on, and signing free-agents could all be in store for the Bengals if things don’t improve quickly in 2020.
QB Joe Burrow
We’ve had our eyes on Burrow ever since his Week 1 performance. He’s continuously put together strong outings and has improved as the weeks have gone on. Most notably, his Week 3 showing being arguably the best of his NFL career thus far.
Burrow has displayed quality pocket presence, operating with a limited amount of rookie mistakes that we typically see from first-year signal-callers. Especially the type of mishaps that many expected from Burrow, given the position he’s been placed into.
Related | Grading Joe Burrow’s Week 3 performance in the 23-23 tie with the Eagles
In the Bengals’ tie with the Eagles, Burrow completed 31-of-44 passing attempts for 312 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also broke a record with a total of 91 completions on the season — the most in NFL history by a quarterback over his first three games.
It will be interesting to see how much he can continue to build upon these accomplishments, and if his supporting cast can deliver enough for him to walk back into the locker room with the win.
CB William Jackson III
The Bengals have been lackluster on defense overall, and pretty average this year as far as the secondary is concerned specifically. Cincinnati’s top cornerback totals 11 tackles so far this season to go along with just three passes defended. There are some bright targets within the Jacksonville offense like wide receiver D.J. Chark, so players in the secondary like Jackson will have their hands full.