Marvin Jones and Press Taylor aid Bengals’ playoff hopes in Jags’ win over Ravens

The Cincinnati Bengals will end Week 12 in a tie with the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North race at 7-4, largely thanks to one former Bengals’ performance.

Shortly after Cincinnati secured a major road win over the Tennessee Titans, Marvin Jones Sr. and the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off a thrilling upset over Baltimore.

In what was a back-and-forth affair, the two teams combined for five fourth-quarter scores, four of which coming in the final six minutes.

But when the dust settled, it was Jacksonville who came away with a 28-27 win thanks to Jones’ 10-yard touchdown catch with 14 seconds left, followed by a two-point conversion by fellow wideout Zay Jones.

On the Jags’ game-winning drive, Jones also caught a 10-yard pass to convert a 4th-and-5 to keep their upset big alive. He finished the game with just three catches for 22 yards and the score on just three targets, but he came up clutch when Jacksonville, and even Cincinnati, needed it most.

Now in his 11th NFL season, Jones began his career with the Bengals after being a fifth-round pick out of Cal in the 2012 NFL Draft. He helped Cincinnati make the playoffs every year he was there. When he left to sign with the Detroit Lions in 2016, the Bengals would miss the postseason in the next five seasons.

After a productive five-year stint in Detroit, Jones joined the Jags in the 2021 offseason. He’s fallen out of favor while other younger options has surpassed him, but as we saw today, Jones is still aiding the Bengals’ playoff hopes.

However, Jones wasn’t the only person with a Bengals connection in this game. Zac Taylor’s younger brother, Press Taylor, is the Jags’ offensive coordinator. So Zac got a huge assist from his little brother, which means his Christmas present for Press should be extra special this year.

With a little help from my friends.