Jaguars vs. Bengals: 5 Players Who Will Decide Week 4

The Jacksonville Jaguars are three games into the Urban Meyer era and still looking for their first win of the season. Now, they will get a chance to find that all-important first win on a national stage as they prepare to face a winning Cincinnati Bengals team on Thursday Night Football.

For the Jaguars, they will need several veterans to come up big and step up their games if they hope to improve to 1-3 instead of facing 0-4 in the mirror. From stopping Joe Mixon to creating big plays, there will be a number of key areas the Jaguars will need to find a way to win in.

So, who are the Jaguars' five players who will help decide Week 4's result? We break it down here.

Brandon Linder

If there is one area of the Bengals' defense that pops on film, it is their interior defensive line. D.J. Reader is specifically having a terrific season, consistently flashing against the pass and providing the Bengals' defense with an unmovable anchor in the running game. The Jaguars found success against the middle of the Cardinals' defense last week, but the Bengals and Reader provide a much bigger challenge, making it key for center Brandon Linder to provide support in both run and pass blocking.

Linder has been mostly solid in pass protection for the Jaguars, ranking No. 7 among starting centers in adjusted blown block rate in pass pro, per Sports Info Solutions. With that said, Linder has the 12th-highest adjusted blown block rate among starting centers as a run-blocker. For the Jaguars to get keep the running game and James Robinson on track, they will need Linder to win his fair share of battles against Reader.

Shaquill Griffin

If the Jaguars are going to beat the Bengals, they will need starting cornerback Shaquill Griffin to win a matchup against one of the NFL's best current deep threats. Griffin has seniority on rookie receiver Ja'Marr Chase, but the No. 5 overall pick has been on an absolute tear in the first three games of his NFL career. And to prevent Chase from continuing a hot streak that includes three touchdowns of 20 yards or more (tied for NFL lead with Tyler Lockett), the Jaguars will need their No. 1 cornerback to be at the very top of his game.

Griffin had a solid game against DeAndre Hopkins in Week 3, albeit with Hopkins not being at 100%. Chase will be one of the biggest tests Griffin plays against all year, though, and Griffin has shown a few issues defending deep balls both in Week 1 and in the preseason. He has the speed to recover and the experience to aid him against Chase, but the success of the Jaguars' defense against big plays will largely hinge on whether he can truly slow down the dynamic rookie.

Tre Herndon

The Jaguars badly need some help in the slot. Tyson Campbell was miscast in the slot for the first two weeks and is now permanently on the outside now that the Jaguars traded CJ Henderson. Chris Claybrooks was asked to fill in from the slot last week against the Cardinals, but he simply has not looked like a reliable cover man this season when thrust into action. Claybrooks has speed and the Jaguars' staff is high on him, but it should be expected for him to take a backup role on Thursday in the event that injured veteran Tre Herndon returns to the lineup.

The Bengals are equipped with one of the most talented receiver trios in the NFL, which includes a top slot receiver in Tyler Boyd. According to Sports Info Solutions, Boyd has caught 13 of 18 targets from the slot for 134 yards, while Tee Higgins himself has caught two touchdowns out of the slot. The Bengals have the weapons, scheme and quarterback to wreak havoc from the slot receiver position, so Herndon having a big game in his return would be a huge boost to the defense.

Myles Jack

There are few running backs in the NFL as talented as Joe Mixon. After a few years of waiting for Zac Taylor and the Bengals' offense to get the most out of their talented lead back, it appears they finally have gotten Mixon and their running game hitting on all cylinders. And with the challenge of an explosive running back like Mixon who can win in all facets of the game, the Jaguars will have to rely on players like linebacker Myles Jack to have productive outings.

Jack is the Jaguars' best hope at containing Mixon considering both his role in the defense and Damien Wilson's athletic limitations. Wilson simply doesn't have the range to keep up with Mixon at the second-level or in the passing game, so Jack will have to pick up a lot of the slack in the Jaguars' man-coverage heavy 3-4 defense. Mixon is third in the NFL in broken tackles forced and second in the NFL in missed tackles forced per Sports Info Solutions, so he certainly has the potential to expose the Jaguars' defense if Jack isn't at the top of his game.

DJ Chark

The Jaguars need to get their deep passing game going. DJ Chark has scored two touchdowns through three games, but the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence have also missed three potential touchdowns or big gains to Chark in the last two weeks. There was Week 2's defensive pass interference on Patrick Surtain II where Chark beat him by several yards before pressure forced an underthrow from Lawrence. Then against the Cardinals, Lawrence missed Chark deep by just an inch down the left sideline, while a wide-open chark was missed on the now-infamous flea-flicker pick-six.

Chark abused Baker on flea flicker. TD if it’s blocked. But still risky with the ball handling in your end. Save it for midfield or plus side of field. pic.twitter.com/GZ6WUIenhD
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) September 27, 2021

For the Jaguars to get their passing game testing the Bengals' talented duo of safeties, they will need Chark to continue to win one-on-ones on the outside while taking advantage when Lawrence does deliver the ball to him. Lawrence is more at fault for the misses than Chark, but it will be up to Chark to ultimately outplay Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell. If the Jaguars can get off one big play to Chark, it feels like the tide will truly begin to shift for his and Lawrence's connection.