Coming off a big divisional win against the Baltimore Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals will host the 1-7 Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars' defensive line will try to knock Bengals’ quarterback Andy Dalton off his rhythm and their success will be vital if the team wants to pull off an upset on Sunday. Jacksonville is tied for second in the NFL with 25 sacks through eight games in 2014. The team is led by a pair of interior rushers in Sen’Derrick Marks and Ryan Davis.
Marks has a +10.5 pass rush grade (fifth-highest at his position) and is third among defensive tackles with 23 total pressures. Davis has also been a quality pass rusher despite limited playing time (133 snaps). His 11.5 Pass Rush Productivity grade is the highest mark among defensive tackles playing at least 70 passing snaps. Davis also has a strong +11.8 pass rush grade this season. The talent of the Jaguars’ interior rushers has freed up space for the likes of defensive ends Chris Clemons (four sacks) and Andre Branch (three hits, eight QB hurries).
Cincinnati’s offensive line will be looking to give their quarterback ample time to throw and counter the Jags’ aggressive front on Sunday. Left tackle Andrew Whitworth has been his stellar self in 2014, not allowing a single sack and ranking first among tackles in Pass Blocking Efficiency (99.0). Right guard Keith Zeitler has also been an effective pass blocker when healthy this season. The former first-round pick ranks fourth at his position (accumulating 100 pass blocking snaps) with a 98.5 Pass Blocking Efficiency grade. Keeping Dalton on his feet will be a point of emphasis for the Bengals’ coaches this week.
Here are three more notable numbers for each side:
Jacksonville Jaguars
Brandon Linder – The rookie guard has only allowed two QB hurries and ranks fifth at his position with a +5.6 pass blocking grade.
Telvin Smith – Another impact rookie, Smith has two sacks, a 35.0 Pass Rush Productivity (second-best among 4-3 outside linebackers) and a +2.9 coverage grade.
Zane Beadles – second among guards with a +7.6 pass blocking grade and fifth with a 98.3 Pass Blocking Efficiency mark.
Cincinnati Bengals
Terence Newman – has averaged 10.6 coverage snaps per reception and ranks sixth among cornerbacks with 0.81 Yards per Coverage Snap.
A.J. Green – Returning from injury this week, the Bengals’ wideout led all receivers with 3.53 Yards per Route Run before he went down.
Wallace Gilberry – has accumulated six quarterback hits and ranks first among all 4-3 defensive ends with 23 QB hurries.
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