After a mid-season winless streak, the Cincinnati Bengals have won back to back games to keep their lead in the AFC North. It looked as if the Bengals were on their way to sealing the win as Andy Dalton found A.J. Green for a touchdown to extend the Bengals’ lead to 16 point early in the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars rallied to make it a one score game before ultimately coming undone to a 60-yard Jeremy Hill touchdown.
A spirited effort for the London bound Jaguars who will hope a trip across the Atlantic can see them pick up a second win on the year, while the Bengals continue to be right in the postseason hunt, remaining a tie atop the AFC North.
Let’s take a look at a few performances that stood out on each team.
Jacksonville Jaguars — Performances of Note
Allen Hurns, WR, +2.7 Pass Grade
Breakdown: Hurns had not done much in the weeks following his impressive season-opening performance, but Sunday was another breakout day for the undrafted rookie. He showed tremendous ability to adjust to throws on both of his touchdowns to beat veteran cornerbacks Leon Hall and Terence Newman.
Signature Stat: Hurns finished the game averaging 3.61 receiving Yards Per Route Run, the highest for a Jacksonville wide receiver this season.
Ryan Davis, DT, +1.6
Breakdown: Davis continues to impress as a pass rusher in the limited amount of playing time he receives. He picked up two of the team’s four quarterback pressures on just 15 pass rush snaps, and also forced a fumble while tackling A.J. Green. Davis’s +13.0 cumulative pass rush grade is tied for third-highest among defensive tackles despite being on the field for just 129 passing plays.
Signature Stat: Davis has a Pass Rushing Productivity of 11.5 this season, highest among defensive tackles that have played a minimum of 65 pass-rushing snaps.
Brandon Linder and Jacques McClendon, +1.8 and +0.6, respectively
Breakdown: Linder was on his way to another solid outing on Sunday before being forced to leave with a shoulder injury just 14 plays in to the game. The rookie has the third-highest overall grade among right guards on the season at +10.3, and his absence would be a significant loss if he is unable to play for an extended period of time. McClendon took over for Linder and looked considerably better at guard than he did early in the season playing center. He fared well in the run game, and allowed just one hurry on 35 pass block snaps. While he wasn’t exactly impressive, he wasn’t the liability he was during the first two weeks of the season either.
Signature Stat: Since Week 3, Linder has allowed just four pressures on 265 pass block snaps, and has earned a +13.0 overall grade.
Cincinnati Bengals — Performances of Note
Geno Atkins, DT, +3.1
Breakdown: The 2014 season has started slow for Atkins after coming off knee surgery last year. However, he played closer to the high level of play we were accustomed to seeing from him before his injury. Atkins led the Bengals’ defense with five stops, four of which game against the run on 19 run defense snaps. He also added two hurries and batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage.
Signature Stat: Atkins had a Run Stop Percentage of 22.2 percent, his highest in a single game since Week 9 of the 2012 season.
A.J. Green, WR, -0.6
Breakdown: It was a mixed performance from Green in his first game back after missing three games due to injury. Green found the end zone on one of his three receptions and earned a +1.5 pass grade for the game. But fumbled the ball on a lateral pass in the red zone and had a penalty that brought down is overall grade.
Signature Play: With 5:20 remaining in the second quarter, Green beats Demetrius McCray for a touchdown on a post route. However, Green lined up offsides and nullified his own touchdown, which pretty much summed up his day as a whole.
Terence Newman, CB, +2.6
Breakdown: Although the touchdown Newman allowed in the fourth quarter may be what sticks out most in his performance, he played an exceptional game outside of the one play. On his six other targets (including the Jaguars’ two point conversion attempt), Newman allowed three receptions for just 13 yards and had two pass defenses.
Signature Play: After allowing the touchdown to Hurns in the fourth quarter, Newman comes back on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt to knock the ball out of Cecil Shorts III’s hands to keep it a two score game.
PFF Game Ball
While Newman was great in coverage, George Iloka also played well and his interception of Bortles in the end zone effectively sealed the win for the Bengals and earns him this week’s game ball.
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