Jaguars vs. Bengals: Halftime Thoughts

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals are in a dog fight at halftime, with Monday's game tied at 14-14.

So, what did we see in the first half of Monday Night Football? We break it down below. 

Bengals can't run with the Jaguars' offense 

The Bengals' defense looks a lot like the Titans' defense did two weeks ago: slow. The Jaguars have been able to take advantage of their lack of speed with a number of plays to the edge with Travis Etienne, Calvin Ridley and Evan Engram, with Engram's 22-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter largely occurring because he simply outran the Bengals. 

Expect for the Jaguars to continue to take deep shots and utilize screens and outside runs in the second half. Defenses can always make adjustments, but they can't get faster. The Jaguars' offense is simply more athletic than what the Bengals are fielding on offense right now, and they should continue to attack them to take advantage of it. 

Christian Kirk injury looms large

Perhaps the biggest storyline of the first-half isn't the score or the chess match between Press Taylor and Zac Taylor. The most important thing to occur may instead be the groin injury to wide receiver Christian Kirk. Kirk has been the Jaguars' most productive and consistent receiver in 2023 in a vacuum, even with the recent emergence of Calvin Ridley. 

Kirk will be replaced in the second half by rookie wide receiver Parker Washington, but there is no real way to sum up just how big of a void he leaves in the offense. Trevor Lawrence is immensely comfortable with him and he is the Jaguars top receiver at getting open against man coverage. This is one to watch.

Defense must improve tackling against a screen-heavy offense

The Jaguars' defense started out strong, but the final two drives of the half were brutal. They allowed an eight-play, 92-yard touchdown drive and then a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on back-to-back drives, allowing the Bengals the remain in the game at the half. 

The biggest reasons the defense failed to force Jake Browning into negative plays simply had to do with tackling. The Bengals gained separation at a solid rate, but the biggest culprit was several missed tackle by the defense. Over half of the Bengals' passing yards came from yards after the catch, with the Jaguars' secondary the biggest offender.