4 winners (and 2 losers) for Bengals in Week 2 win over Jaguars

Any potential winners and losers type of takeaway from the Cincinnati Bengals' outing in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars is overshadowed by the soul-crushing injury to superstar quarterback Joe Burrow.

Yours truly refuses to call Burrow a loser, despite the fact that he lost more precious time from his career due to a left toe injury. More on that in a minute, because as is often the case, the latest ailment for Burrow can't be blamed on him.

Moving on to the actual winners and losers from the Bengals' side of things after Week 2's 31-27 win to the Jaguars.

Winner: Mitchell Tinsley

Wow, what a meteoric rise by Mitchell Tinsley. The 25-year-old undrafted free agent from 2023 out of Penn State shined brighter than any Bengal in the preseason. That resulted in not only a 53-man roster spot, but a demotion for 2024 third-round pick Jermaine Burton to healthy scratch status.

When Jake Browning subbed in for an injured Burrow, he looked Tinsley's way, and their reps together in the preseason certainly paid huge dividends on a very real game day.

A good-enough throw by Browning. You can't give Tinsley enough credit for capitalizing on any and all opportunities he receives at wide receiver, though.

I can't wait to see what's in store for Tinsley's future. There's even a chance he could eclipse Andrei Iosivas as the Bengals' WR3. OK maybe that's a stretch. Nevertheless, encouraging signs that could lead to an increased role as the season rolls along.

Loser: Bengals offensive line

We all know Cincinnati's offense depends on more true pass sets than any team in the league. That's what happens when Joe Burrow is your signal-caller. The problem is, the Bengals can't seem to get it right often enough up front.

The pass protection was decent enough for Browning once he went in. Alas, the damage was already done, as the trench men couldn't handle a four-man rush well enough to avoid another Burrow injury.

The Bengals' run blocking was, I kid you not, historically bad in Week 1. Didn't look much better in Week 2, forcing Cincinnati to be rather one-dimensional on offense. Chase Brown (16 carries, 47 yards) deserves more, as does the passing attack to be better complemented by the ground game.

Winner: Jake Browning

What a roller coaster! Jake Browning got his first shot at meaningful NFL snaps since 2023 and he wasn't about to play it safe. The problem is, Browning piled up a whopping three interceptions in relief of Burrow. That almost outweighed the significant good he did on Sunday, including this touchdown toss to Tee Higgins.

Browning had to feel a little pressed. Cincinnati couldn't run the ball, Jacksonville's pass rush could tee off on him, and he was trying to make a stellar impression. Because at least from what he showed two seasons ago, Browning is worthy enough to contend for a starting job. Just never will behind Burrow.

Now that he'll be the man under center until Burrow's return, perhaps Browning can settle down into a more disciplined style of play. His attack-minded approach is commendable, but those picks almost cost the Bengals a victory.

Congrats to Jake on going up and over for that winning sneak, capping that clutch 90-yard drive!

Loser: Bengals pass-rushers not named Trey Hendrickson

The Jaguars had a solid plan in place for Cincinnati's only top-flight pass rushing threat, Trey Hendrickson. It's difficult for Hendrickson to carry the entire load in that department, yet that's what the Bengals depend on him for week in and week out.

Nobody on Cincinnati's defensive front generated any pressure of consequence, save for Hendrickson forcing an errant throw by Trevor Lawrence that culminated in Dax Hill's red-zone interception. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet day re: getting pressure.

More credit goes to the Bengals secondary for sure tackling and opportunistic ball hawking when those chances presented themselves. If not for Browning's careless giveaways, this game might not have been as close.

PS, Hendrickson had the game-sealing sack on the Jags' last-gasp possession. Delivering the goods as usual.

Winner: Ja'Marr Chase Offensive Player of the Year campaign

Cincinnati will need everything it can get out of Ja'Marr Chase if there's any hope of hanging on whilst Joe Burrow recovers from injury. Chase was flourishing on Sunday regardless of who threw him the ball, to the tune of 14 catches for 165 yards and the touchdown below from Burrow.

Thank goodness Uno is on the Bengals' side. When in doubt, just find Chase and he can make anything happen after the catch. I appreciate that Cincinnati took the initiative to force-feed Chase to some degree after just two receptions for 26 yards in Week 1.

Winner: Zac Taylor

Hats off to Taylor for rallying the troops and not letting the standard on offense dip once Burrow left the field. The system is what the system is because it plays to Burrow's strengths.

It's high-risk, high-reward to rely on the passing game as often as Cincinnati does without an adequate run game. Absent as seasoned and cerebral of a QB as Burrow in the lineup, we saw that play out with Browning's maverick gunslinger brand of football.

But again, Chase was the focal point of the offense, and Taylor did a good enough job scheming up touches for him, which is all Bengals fans can ask for. Browning's decision-making was terrible at times. That's not on Zac Taylor. Nor is the leaky defense that kept Jacksonville in it all afternoon.

Congrats on your first 2-0, Zac! WHO DEY!

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