Bengals 34, Jaguars 31: Night of Firsts Ends Badly For Jacksonville
The Duval Devout were able to punch out of work and head to Everbank stadium and watch their Jacksonville Jaguars on a Monday night as they hosted the Cincinnati Bengals. With a shot to become the top seed in the AFC, the Jags fell short in overtime, 34-31. While many in the NFL media looked down on this game since Cincinnati’s starting quarterback Joe Burrow missed the game due to injury, here are some interesting “firsts” that Jags fans can observe in the loss.
The First Monday Night Game in nearly 12 Years
In 2011, the Jags had two Monday night games scheduled. The first was on October 24th hosting the Baltimore Ravens for their second win that season. Four Josh Scobee field Goals subdued then-Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco in a 12-7 game which featured Jags’ head coach Jack Del Rio battling the Ravens' John Harbaugh.
The second was on December 5th when the Chargers came to Duval still based out of San Diego with Phillip Rivers under center. Coach Norv Turner got the win over Jacksonville’s interim head coach Mel Tucker on the sideline, 38-14. This was the last time that the Jags played on Monday night until this week.
Since then each of the 31 other NFL franchises has had at least eight appearances on Monday Night Football in that time period.
Engram’s Touchdown
There are a lot of bitter fantasy football fans who could tell you that Evan Engram’s 22-yard touchdown from Trevor Lawrence before he left the game was his first of the year. His crucial block for the first touchdown of the game on a four-yard Travis Etienne run won’t pop on the stat sheet, but it’s the sort of play that has made the offense productive throughout 2023.
However, there’s a whole other dimension to Engram’s scoring for the “first time”. This is his first touchdown in a home game since October 30th of 2022 at Wembley Stadium. By extension, it is also his first time scoring in Duval at Everbank Stadium as a Jaguar.
Jake Browning’s First 2023 win as a starter
On the darker side of the Monday Night Football festivities, the full circle of this worst-case scenario game for the Jags is Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning earning his first victory starting since Burrow’s injury. Not only does this deliver a missed opportunity for the Jags’ to take the #1 seed in the AFC, it also keeps life in the Bengals’ playoff hopes.
While it’s easy for the Duval Devout to lament the loss with the Houston Texans breathing down Jacksonville’s necks, the good news for the fanbase is that they still have eight wins and an upcoming game against the Baltimore Ravens in two Sundays that could help them get back in the race for the conferences top ranking.
