Week 2: Jaguars @ Bengals

[HoosierCat]

I think everyone saw this as a win before the season, so of course that means they lose by 50 or something...

More seriously, I feel pretty good about this one, even if the Jags did bully the Panthers on Sunday. The run D looked pretty good against Cleveland but Etienne (143 yards vs. Carolina) will be a test.

Here's the the arrival of week 2 Joe!

[HoosierCat]

Hubbard get the Ruler of the Jungle nod for the opener.

https://www.wlwt.com/article/cincinnati-bengals-sam-hubbard-2025-ruler-of-the-jungle-home-opener/66023479

[ArmyBengal]

Thanks Hoosier !!

Bring the home opener in orange.  Got my Stewart jersey ready and gearing up for the win.
Hopefully we see some more improvement on both sides of the ball and a more effective 2nd half offense.

Trevor Lawrence didn't have the best week 1 either, but their offense did rush for 200 yards.
The Jaguars also do not sport the same defense that Cleveland does, so there's that to consider.

Honestly, I expect them to look much improved in this game and another ugly showing will irritate me.
Don't get me wrong, I will take another ugly win if that's what it comes down to, but they need to put it together this week.

The march to their bye week is filled with solid teams.

[HoosierCat]

Looks like this week is P.H.A.T and B.E.S.T versus F.A.S.T.

Quote

Coen throughout the offseason emphasized an acronym of "F.A.S.T." for how the Jaguars should play: Fundamentally Sound, Attacking, Situational Masters and Toughness.

"We just gave out a bunch of T-Shirts that had players of the game that represented those things," Coen said. "We have the game balls but then we also give out some of those shirts of guys that represented our style of play the right way. We are continuing to kind of magnify that and make sure that that gets emphasized week to week.

"Absolutely think it showed up."

 

[ArmyBengal]

As opposed to "A.S.S" ??

Absolute Shit Show

Hand that t-shirt out to motivate all the guys that fucked up Sunday !!

[Stripes]

71 of Etienne's yards came on one play against Carolina. The Bengals are certainly capable of allowing a big one, so... don't.

I don't think the Week 2 woes have been quite the same as the Week 1 woes. Since 2021:

2021 - L @Chicago 17-20
2022 - L @Dallas 17-20
2023 - L vs. Baltimore 24-27
2024 - L @Kansas City 25-26

0-4 by a combined margin of 10 points, with three of those four teams being good (12-5 Cowboys, 13-4 Ravens, 15-2 Chiefs)

The offense has been far more competent on Week 2 lately and came up short against sharp competition. I am optimistic about this week, but you never know.

[HoosierCat]

Joe usually plays better too. Rating changes week 1 to 2 from the last 3 years:

2024: 75.2 —> 103.7

2023: 52.2 —> 85.6

2022: 61.7 —> 89.9

[AMPHAR]

Nothing beats....... run on your own gas.      Ball Disruption came through week 1.  

 

[ArmyBengal]

23 minutes ago, AMPHAR said:

Nothing beats....... run on your own gas. 

Just one of the dumbest things I've ever heard as a motivational type thing.
The Bengals really need to reach out for help with clever acronyms, because whoever comes up with these should be fired.

[HoosierCat]

Roster notes from the other thread applying to this game:

Lucas to IR

Pennel takes his active roster spot.

Ex-Jag gets a one-week contract to spill all he knows about their D:

Quote

**Signed DE Myles Cole to the practice squad. Cole (6-6, 280), a second-year player out of Texas Tech University, originally was a seventh-round draft pick of Jacksonville in 2024. He played in eight games as a rookie for the Jaguars last season and recorded eight tackles with one TFL. He was waived by Jacksonville on Aug. 26.

 

[ArmyBengal]

I remember Myles Cole and thought he would be a good late round flier.
6'6 280 is no small boy !!

[TJJackson]

Color me shocked that they replaced a OL on the roster with a DL

should have signed a OL

[COB]

Run on your own gas absolutely makes no sense.  It seems more like a parody of a motivational phrase than the real thing.  Not sure what Marvin was trying to convey. Also - football is the ultimate team sport.  Encouraging individualism is the opposite of what one should be doing.  

[ArmyBengal]

Run on your own gas sounds like something a gas station would say when they jack up the prices and don’t care that you are pissed about it.

[HoosierCat]

Isaiah Williams off to the Jets.

https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/jets-sign-isaiah-williams-release-xavier-gipson-09-10-2025

[Coltsguy451]

Caught some snippets of the Browns game and yeah--pretty lackluster offensive performance. Hopefully that  gets ironed out by this Sunday cuz naturally I want the Bengals to beat the Jags like they owe them money.

[HoosierCat]

Well, the good injury news only lasted one week.

Mims limited Wednesday and Thursday (ankle).

New long snapper apparently pulled a hammy in his first outing. Still practicing tho.

Also, no matter the score, the game is going to be a scorcher.

Quote

The forecast for Sunday could result in the Cincinnati Bengals’ home opener being the team’s hottest home game in franchise history.

The weather.com forecast currently calls for a high of 90 degrees Sunday.

The hottest game in Cincinnati history was Sept. 8, 2002, in the season opener against the Chargers, with the game time temperature listed at 90 degrees, per ProFootballReference.com.

The Bengals lost 34-6.

 

[ArmyBengal]

Yeah, it's going to be hot standing in that sun all afternoon.

This is when my perspective helps out.  I have a picture of myself in Afghanistan standing next to a temperature gauge and it was pegged at 140 F.  I'm pretty sure it was hotter than that as we were all freaking out that you could literally see sweat come to the top of your skin and it would evaporate.  I didn't know that was possible.  Worse, we were heading out on a mission with full combat loads in up armored vehicles with no A/C.  The top gun hatch was open, but that simply felt like putting a hair dryer right in your face at full blast.  (Miserable)

Sunday won't be that bad and I always remind myself... at least I'm not in Afghanistan !!

WHODEY !!!

[TJJackson]

just curious, Army: did you ever get to try afghani food, and if so, what was your favorite?

[TJJackson]

also, on shemar - yes, he should have at least one pass defenced  for week 1

see at the 10:24 mark in the video below

 

[ArmyBengal]

12 minutes ago, TJJackson said:

just curious, Army: did you ever get to try afghani food, and if so, what was your favorite?

Most of the time we ate our own food- MREs (Meals Ready to Eat).  That saved us from pissing out of our asses.  We were also very remote in our operations, responsible for joint border patrol and training of the Afghan Border Patrol.  We were rarely close to any major city when we ran missions.  While main operations were in the Helmund province, we had an area of operation from Helmand all the way to the Khost province along the Pakistani border.  At the check points, we would be offered flatbread which was good, lamb which made me shit like a madman and they always had fruits and nuts which I was not a fan of.  I never had the opportunity for anything more well prepared as they were exceptionally poor and more hungry than us most of the time in those remote regions of the desert and mountains.

[TJJackson]

yeah, I figured, but had to ask

[ArmyBengal]

2 minutes ago, TJJackson said:

yeah, I figured, but had to ask

Anytime...

[Allentown21]

I'm honestly out of answers on why the Bengals and specifically Joe burrow on week 1 looks so off. I honestly can't explain it anymore, it's extremely bizarre. 

My only guess is, and this probably doesn't even make sense,  is that because burrow and the offense is such a timing based offense it takes a couple games to get into a rhythm. I don't get it tho

Regardless I do think the Bengals and Burrow come out on fire and play to their real abilities, especially the passing game.

Bengals 34
Jags 17

[Coltsguy451]

10 hours ago, HoosierCat said:

Also, no matter the score, the game is going to be a scorcher.

 

Wouldn't surprise me at all to see the Bengals rocking the all-white uniforms on Sunday