Fansided

Jaguars assert their dominance over Bengals, 23-7

ByJohn Buhler|
JACKSONVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 05: Dante Fowler
JACKSONVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 05: Dante Fowler

The Jacksonville Jaguars dominated the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon in Week 9, 23-7. Here are all the highlights, the game recap and final score.

Another odd-numbered week, another victory for the rising Jacksonville Jaguars. They came off their bye week and pushed the visiting Cincinnati Bengals around. Even without star rookie running back Leonard Fournette, who was inactive for this game for breaking a team rule, Jacksonville stomped the Bengals to the tune of 23-7.

Jacksonville improves to 5-3 on the season, while Cincinnati falls to 3-5 on the year. While we knew that Jacksonville was going to bring it defensively, it remained to be seen how the offense would work without Fournette being available.

What we got was a solid game out of three skill position players in quarterback Blake Bortles, wide receiver Marqise Lee and running back Chris Ivory. Bortles would connect with Lee on a touchdown pass to take a 10-0 lead and never looked back. Ivory wouldnā€™t find pay dirt himself, but he did more than an enough to offset the loss of Fournette for the ball game.

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Though the Jaguars didnā€™t force any turnovers, the defense was outstanding. That unit helped the listless Bengals offense to 148 yards of total offense. With this defense, Jacksonville can not only win the AFC South, but maybe a playoff game or two.

As for the Bengals, it doesnā€™t look good for them to get back into the playoffs. Last year was a rough one for the organization and 2017 is looking no different. With the Pittsburgh Steelers being the class of the division, Cincinnati might again find itself picking in the top 10 in back-to-back NFL drafts.

Though Jacksonville doesnā€™t hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars look like the class of this division. It has been a decade since Jacksonville last made the AFC playoffs. Though there is plenty of ball left to be played, the Jaguars look to be one of the six best teams in the AFC.

Cincinnati may need to seriously consider bringing in a new coaching staff in 2018. Marvin Lewis is not getting the best out of his reeling team. It seems that their playoff window has been slammed shut. This pummeling by the hands of the Jaguars doesnā€™t help his cause to get a new contract for next season.

Three Stars

  1. Blake Bortles: Bortles completed 24 of 38 passes for 258 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. As a runner, he had five carries for 20 yards.
  2. Marqise Lee: Lee had eight catches for 75 yards and a touchdown.
  3. Jaydon Mickens: Mickens had three punt returns for 82 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown return.

Highlights

Next Game

The Bengals will play another AFC South team on the road in Week 10. They will have to travel to the Music City to take on the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. Kickoff from Nissan Stadium will be at 1:00 p.m. ET. FOX will have the early afternoon telecast on Nov. 12.

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Jacksonville will stay put for Week 10. The Jaguars will host the Los Angeles Chargers for an early afternoon kickoff on Nov. 12. CBS will have the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff coming from EverBank Field in Jacksonville.

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