Coming into Week 7’s showdown against the Bengals, the Jacksonville Jaguars were on their heels after losing two straight, but fortunately for Jacksonville, the Bengals are an awful football team. Bengals QB Andy Dalton would throw three interceptions in the fourth quarter, and the Jaguars would go on the road and defeat the Bengals 27-17 on Sunday.
The Jaguars were able to defeat the Bengals because of an opportunistic defense that created four turnovers and the play of running back Leonard Fournette. The third-year back had 29 carries for 131 yards against Cincinnati, and he punished the Bengals’ defense.
“They didn’t want to tackle on the first drive,” Fournette said. “We’ve just got to find better ways to execute. The running game did a good job, but when we get in the red zone, we have to score. This game shouldn’t have been close. We felt it.”
According to Fournette, Sunday’s game against the Bengals was a game the team had to have to keep the season alive.
“Yeah, it was a must-have,” Fournette said. “We’re trying to get back to that .500 mark before the bye. But now we’ve got the Jets coming up and then Houston. We’re just getting ready. We know those teams aren’t going to hold back on us. We know it’s going to be a fight each and every game. We’ve got to continue to get better.”
After a slow start, Fournette is starting to pick it up. In the first three games of the season, Fournette had 179 yards on the ground, but in the last four games, Fournette has rushed for 536 yards.
“I had a tough offseason — I got arrested, and things like that,” Fournette said. “Like I say, you have to find ways to get past a lot of the negatives and turn them into positives. Even at the beginning of the season — the first three games was a bit of a slump for me. I took the time with the offensive line to try and develop a better relationship — me understanding those guys and them understanding me, and just where we all come from.”
The Jaguars have to be happy to be 3-4 after seven games, especially after losing Nick Foles in Week 1 and trading away Jalen Ramsey. It should be interesting to see how the final nine games shake out for this football team, but for now, they have very winnable game against the Jets next Sunday.
