Key Plays To The Bengals 30-20 Win Over The Jaguars: The Second Quarter Defensive Stand

With 13:47 remaining in the second quarter, Andy goes under center at Cincinnati's seven-yard line with a double-tight formation, Donald Lee motioning right to left. A.J. Green is flanked out wide left when Kyle Cook snaps the football. Quarterback Andy Dalton fakes the handoff to running back Bernard Scott, dropping two yards deep in the end zone. Nervously shuffling his feet, it was clearly evident that Dalton had every intention of throwing the football to wide receiver A.J. Green -- no matter what.

Five seconds into his drop, Dalton unleashed a pass to his left, targeting Green's vertical route down the sidelines. Safety Dwight Lowery, appearing to play a cover two zone, jumped the pass for the interception. Following his blocks it looked as if Lowery was going to score a touchdown with Dalton being the last player to prevent the score. Rather than whiffing the tackle, Dalton took it upon himself to make the save, lowering his throwing shoulder into the Lowery's thigh and sending the safety into the air for the tackle at Cincinnati's two-yard line.

With a running back like Maurice Jones-Drew in Jacksonville, it wouldn't seem hard for the Jaguars to pick up two yards necessary for the touchdown. Instead it was a story about the Bengals defense saving the game.

Jacksonville lined up with a big formation against Cincinnati's goalline defense on first down.

Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis lined up at the right end when Blaine Gabbert faked the handoff to Jones-Drew and rolled out. Lewis cut out towards the right sidelines, boxing out the defense, as Gabbert floated a pass for the tight end. Lewis stretched out for the football as Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga collided with the tight end, hand-fighting the football out of Lewis' hands. Incomplete.

Second down and both teams use a similar formation.

This time the Jaguars run, targeting the left edge where Thomas Howard patrolled. As Gabbert hands the football off to Jones-Drew, Thomas Howard approaches the line of scrimmage waiting for fullback Greg Jones' block.

No. He didn't wait for the block; Howard aggressively took on Jones two yards deep in the backfield, drilling the fullback's outside shoulder which put the linebacker in perfect position to keep contain. Jones-Drew ran outside and Howard shed off Jones' block.

Jones-Drew lost seven yards on the play setting up a third-and-goal from Cincinnati's nine-yard line. This time the Jaguars opened it up with an obvious passing situation.

Wide receiver Mike Thomas, on the left off the line of scrimmage, runs to the two-yard line and breaks out towards the sidelines. As Gabbert makes the throw, safety Reggie Nelson and cornerback Leon Hall break on the pass. Thomas catches the football close the sidelines and Hall lowers his head for the boom, drilling the wide receiver out of bounds without Thomas picking up a single yard after the reception.

Three plays after Andy Dalton's tackle during Lowery's interception, the Jacksonville Jaguars didn't gain a single yard from the original line of scrimmage on Cincinnati's two-yard line. Place kicker Josh Scobee converts the 19-yard field goal to give the Jaguars a 10-7 lead.

The interception set up Jacksonville's drive and a combined effort from Andy Dalton to prevent the pick-six, along with a great defensive stand, saves four points against the Bengals.