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Three Down Look: Bengals Formula Clicks Against Jacksonville

The Bengals picked up their first win of the season

On a rainy Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, the Bengals beat the Jaguars 33-25 to pick up their first win of the season. It was the Joe Show, as Joe Mixon and Joe Burrow led the Bengals to 505 yards of total offense. Three-hundred of them came from Burrow's arm. He's the first rookie ever to throw for 300 yards in three straight games. 

Here is the three-down look of the action.

First down: Alex Redmond Balances Joe Mixon and the Offense

Alex Redmond was the perfect fix for Cincinnati's offense—at least for this week. The veteran right guard stepped in and stabilized the line in pass protection and helped unleash Mixon. The running back finished with 181 total yards and scored a career-high three touchdowns to take the pressure off of his rookie quarterback.

Redmond mauled the interior of the Jaguars and brought a nastiness that the Bengals have lacked in the trenches. His rapport with Bobby Hart is a big reason why Mixon found some space on the edges. Overall, the Bengals rushed for 205 yards, which is the most they've had in a game in since Dec. 2016.

The right guard's impact was just as important to Burrow. The rookie tore up the Jaguars' secondary, completing 25-of-36 passes for 300 yards, one touchdown and one interception. It was the most efficient performance of his young career in large part because he wasn't running from the defense. The Jaguars sacked Burrow once and hit him five times. The rookie routinely had 2-3 seconds to progress through his reads for key conversions. The strong overall play of the unit helped justify the comments from Jim Turner this week. Redmond was a huge factor in their success.

Second Down: Burrow and Co. Find the Big Plays

Coming into this game, Cincinnati had four explosive plays (20-plus yards) in three games. They hit on seven explosives against Jacksonville, which helped them take the lead early in the second half and control things the rest of the way.

Mixon found the rushing lanes he's been searching for, which included a season-high 34-yard run. Burrow showed how surgical he can be with time to throw. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner completed 25-of-29 passes shorter than 20 yards for all of his passing production. None of the explosives came on his seven deep attempts according to NFL NextGen, though the playmakers did their jobs. Four receivers had explosive plays and Burrow moved the rock around to nine different pass catchers.

It was the type of performance fans envisioned when the Bengals selected Burrow first overall. 

Third down: Jessie Bates III anchors the defense

Jessie Bates III came to work ready to make plays on Sunday. He set the tone for this defense with ten tackles, two passes defended and one tackle for loss. Bates led the team in tackles and executed crucial plays for the defense all afternoon. The first of which led to a Jordan Evans interception on the Jaguars' first drive.

Bates finished the game tied for second in the league with five passes defended and he's emerged as a rare safety that can enforce their will on any game. The Wake Forest-product helped the Bengals defense take strides defending the run. The Jaguars ran for 89 yards, the fourth time since 2016 a Bengals opponent posted less than 90 yards rushing, Cincinnati is 40-4 in those games since 2000.

The safety played a key role in the halftime adjustments. Gardner Minshew struggled against the Bengals' coverage looks in the third quarter leading to back-to-back punts coming out of the locker room. The offense took advantage and completed the work Bates helped start.

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