JACKSONVILLE – Team reporter Kainani Stevens each week during the 2026 regular season will speak with a media member covering the Jaguars' opponent.
Up this week:
CLNS Media's Bengals beat reporter Mike Petraglia on the Cincinnati Bengals' loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the team's matchup with the Jaguars at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sunday:
Q: The Bengals' defense looked much improved the first two weeks, but last week's game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh felt like a bit of a meltdown.
A: It really did. I think the Bengals were caught off guard by the rhythm that Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw at them. He mixed up the offense and the tempo quite a bit. He threw a lot of short passes over the middle to the running backs and also used the tight ends, which the Bengals have been susceptible to over the last couple of years. The Steelers had a great deal of success with that, especially in the first half. They didn't punt at all until the ill-fated punt that wound up in a personal foul of roughing the punter that eventually led to another Steelers touchdown. I think the Bengals' defense this week must get back to the drawing board just a little bit.
Q: What have you seen from offseason changes? Obviously, the addition of defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence there in the middle. Also, what have you seen through the first few weeks?
A: They're winning at the line of attack and that has been the biggest difference for the Bengals. On Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Steelers had success neutralizing Dexter Lawrence for a good portion of the first half, but in the second half the Bengals started to wear down the Pittsburgh offensive line. Lawrence, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and defensive end Boye Mafe started to get more pressure on Rodgers. When you can rush the offense into a read that they probably don't want to get into, the defense becomes lot more effective. That was certainly the case against the Houston Texans and quarterback C.J. Stroud and even quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Q: These teams played each other early last season, but that was with Jake Browning at quarterback for the Bengals because Joe Burrow got injured early. So, is Joe Burrow back to form and utilizing all the talented weapons surrounding him?
A: I think so. Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor said it after the game on Sunday, and again on Monday, that Burrow had an outstanding game against the Steelers. He made all the right reads, had clutch throws on third down and a couple of fourth-down conversions. He looked very confident in the pocket until the very last offensive play of the game where he didn't take care of the football. A strip sack that would cost the Bengals the game. Before that, though, he looked like his old self on Sunday. Efficient, effective and able to get the ball downfield.
Q: Who's an X-factor player on offense and an X-factor player on defense who need to play well in this game if the Bengals are to win?
A: Offensive tackle Amarius Mims is going to need a great game against the Jaguars' defensive front. The first few weeks he has faced the Texans' pass rushers and recently the Pittsburgh front with edge defender J.J. Watt. Mims had a fabulous game against Watt, not allowing any pressures. Mims spoke on Monday, saying the Jaguars don't just have one player but two that can really bring the pressure on every single snap. Offensively, where the Bengals have to really focus their effort is on protecting Burrow. Defensively, I think in this particular game, I'm going to go with Mafe trying to get after Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and continue the pressure on the quarterback. They have to do a better job of pressuring the quarterback than they did against Rodgers.
