Snap count takeaways from Bengals’ win over Jaguars

The Cincinnati Bengals’ first win of the season was a fun one to watch. There are still some things we can interpret from looking directly at the snap counts from this game, and there is still arguably room for improvement here.

Here are the Bengals snap count takeaways from their Week 4 win:

• The Bengals out snapped the Jaguars 75 to 68. This disparity mostly came in the second half when Cincinnati’s defense stepped up and started getting more stops before drives could even start. The Bengals also had a nice run of scoring on every drive during the second half, which obviously meant they were driving the ball well and converting third downs.
• Given the fact that Joe Mixon was in the hospital the night before kickoff, it was surprising to see him play 62 snaps. He played a little over 80 percent of the game, which is actually an increase in playing time. Unfortunately, this limited Giovani Bernard (13) to play but a fraction of the game. He had two impactful runs on the game, and it just goes to show they need to be on the field at the same time more often.
• It is now time to address the elephant in the room. A.J. Green (53) just isn’t himself. Whether he is trying to play through some sort of leg injury or this is just what he will look like the rest of his career is beyond information that anyone outside the building would know. What we do know is that Tee Higgins (43) has looked pretty good outside of a couple of drops and Tyler Boyd (58) is the best receiver on the team currently. Cincinnati also has a stable of receivers waiting for more opportunities in Auden Tate (22), Mike Thomas (25) and even John Ross, who was inactive for a second week in a row. If Green still isn’t healthy, it may be in everyone’s best interest to shut him down temporarily. If this goes beyond that then it is probably time to start giving a few other players more opportunities to see if they can be apart of this receiving group going forward.
• Alex Redmond (75) ended up playing the whole game at right guard. On a whole the entire offensive line did a good job as Joe Burrow wasn’t sacked all game. He took a couple nasty hits on the day (some of which could’ve been flagged), but here is credit where credit is due as they also helped in the running game. To try and control the optimism fire from spreading too fast, this Jaguars defensive line is not that great. It is possible in the coming weeks that things revert back to normal once the talent they are facing ramps back up. Still, this was a nice performance. Hopefully, for Burrow’s sake, it is something they can build on.
• Shawn Williams (17) finally got some playing time on defense. Last week he exclusively played on special teams, but this week he was worked into some three-safety sets. Jessie Bates III (68) and Vonn Bell (68) both played every defensive snap, so it is pretty clear that Williams role may be this unless something happens to one of the starters.
• The absence of Logan Wilson due to a concussion seemed like the perfect time to work in fellow rookie linebacker Markus Bailey (4). However, it was Jordan Evans (12) who saw most of the fourth linebacker snaps. To his credit, Evans made two impactful plays with the early interception of Bates’ deflection and a sack later in the game. It still would’ve been nice to get a young player who could be more involved down the road some experience now. Germaine Pratt (43) and Josh Bynes (47) led the way at the position with Akeem Davis-Gaither (21) clearly entrenched as the number three.
• Carlos Dunlap (51) and D.J. Reader (56) led the way for the defensive line. Sam Hubbard (46) and Carl Lawson (44) saw a pretty even split as well on the day. Christian Covington was also the second defensive tackle in snaps with 38, but the biggest news was Andrew Brown being active and playing 12 snaps after being a healthy scratch last week.
• LeShaun Sims (59) saw the most playing time he has seen in Cincinnati. He played primarily on the outside with Darius Phillips (60) kicking inside due to Mackensie Alexander’s injury keeping him out. It seems like the Bengals may have found a steal as Sims looked incredibly reliable for most of the game. It should also be noted that William Jackson III (68) made some incredible tackles in the running game (just thought he deserved a shoutout for that).