The Jacksonville Jaguars don’t expect to get much credit for their 3-1 start.
asserted
Jaguars → expect → start
They prefer it that way.
asserted
They → prefer → it
They overwhelmed Cleveland, embarrassed New England and handled Cincinnati on the road — beating three teams that are .500 or better after four games.
asserted
that → overwhelm → games
The lone loss: The Jags led Denver 13-3 in the third quarter before fading in mile-high altitude.
asserted
Jags → lead → altitude
Yet much of the talk was about the struggles of Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson and Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and the Bengals playing most of the game without All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
asserted
Bengals → play → Chase
Jacksonville’s defense, meanwhile, has been mostly overlooked.
asserted
defense → overlook → ?
That surely will change if the unit keeps playing like this.
asserted
unit → change → this
The Jaguars have allowed 53 points, the second fewest in the NFL and the second fewest in franchise history through four games.
asserted
Jaguars → allow → games
They’ve been so stout against the run — they haven’t allowed a 75-yard rusher in 21 consecutive games — that the Bengals essentially abandoned the ground game early in Jacksonville’s 22-17 victory Sunday.
asserted
Bengals → allow → victory
The Jags also rank second in the league with eight takeaways, including three in the red zone.
asserted
Jags → rank → zone
“I’d like to believe it’s a part of our DNA at this point,” coach Liam Coen said.
asserted
Coen → like → point
It started last season under first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, whose unit found its rhythm in early November and allowed an average of 14.5 points during an eight-game winning streak.
asserted
unit → start → streak
The Jaguars returned 10 defensive starters this season, creating a lot of continuity.
asserted
Jaguars → return → continuity
It has shown up in every win, none bigger than stopping the Bengals on a fourth-and-10 play in the final minute.
asserted
none → show → minute
Third-string safety Rayuan Lane tackled Chase Brown a yard short of the first-down marker.
asserted
Lane → tackle → marker
“To be able to come down to the last drive and finish the game playing complementary football, the defense not breaking at the end, that’s huge for us,” defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said.
asserted
Allen → come → us
What’s working
Jacksonville ran for 111 yards against the Bengals, topping the century mark for the third time in four weeks.
asserted
Jacksonville → work → weeks
Second-year running back Bhayshul Tuten has been solid, topping 65 yards in every game while averaging 4.6 yards a carry.
asserted
Tuten → top → yards
And backup Chris Rodriguez Jr. delivered one of the key plays against Cincy when he broke through the line of scrimmage for a 25-yard TD run with six minutes to play.
asserted
he → deliver → minutes
What needs help
Penalties were a problem for the first time all season.
asserted
Penalties → need → time
Jacksonville was flagged 13 times for 125 yards against the Bengals.
asserted
Jacksonville → flag → Bengals
Cincy was penalized 11 times for 108 yards, making for a choppy game at times, especially in the first half.
asserted
Cincy → penalize → half
“It’s wild.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
I’ve never been a part of anything like that before in my life,” Coen said.
asserted
Coen → say → life
“I’m not going to say anything that will get me fined.
asserted
me → go → anything
Travis Hunter played every defensive snap for the first time in his two-year career, and Coen said he “balled out.”
asserted
he → play → career
Hunter finished with four tackles and two pass breakups.
asserted
Hunter → finish → tackles
“He played his (butt) off,” Coen said.
asserted
Coen → play → butt
“We had some things for him on offense that we didn’t feel like putting him out there because, if he gets hurt on offense, we’re in a real bad spot.
asserted
we → have → spot
We didn’t want to put ourselves at risk there.”
asserted
We → want → risk
Parker Washington finished with one reception for 7 yards, although the play initially gained 39 yards before replays showed he stepped out of bounds.
asserted
he → finish → bounds
Washington also gained 3 yards on a run.
asserted
Washington → gain → run
Still, it his worst outing in terms of total yards since being held without a catch at San Francisco in Week 4 of last season.
asserted
it → hold → season
Injuries
S Eric Murray (concussion) and his backup, Caleb Ransaw (knee), left the game, adding to a lengthy injury report for the secondary.
asserted
Murray → leave → secondary
CBs Montaric Brown (hamstring) and Christian Braswell (knee) missed the game, and Jarrian Jones played through a sore hip.
asserted
Jones → miss → hip
Key number
9 – Number of times the Jaguars have started a season 3-1 or better.
asserted
Jaguars → start → season
This is the third time they have done it in consecutive years.
asserted
they → do → years
Next steps
Jaguars travel to London for back-to-back “home” games against Philadelphia and Houston.
___
asserted
Jaguars → travel → Philadelphia
The Aporia
