GENE FRENETTE

Gene Frenette: Getting on a Bengals track would be good thing for Jaguars' future

Gene Frenette
Florida Times-Union
Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence, seen here reaching the ball over the goal line for a two-point conversion against the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC wild-card victory, has a chance to do what Joe Burrow did for the Cincinnati Bengals in ascending his franchise to postseason success.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars look at themselves — along with the fallout from Sunday’s AFC Championship game — it’s hard not to look into the future without viewing the Cincinnati Bengals as a potential NFL clone. 

Beyond the fact both teams suffered soul-crushing playoff exits to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium the past 10 days, no other AFC teams have that stable, ascending quarterback-head coach combination to pose a more consistent threat to the Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid tag team in KC than the Bengals and Jaguars. 

Cincinnati is what the Jaguars should aspire to be over the next two or three years: a sustainable winning franchise with close to or as many Super Bowl ingredients as anybody else in the AFC landscape. 

Realistically, Cincinnati is about a year or two ahead of the Jaguars in its development/growth process. Trevor Lawrence closed the quarterback gap on many of his peers with a phenomenal second half of the season, but he’s not Joe Burrow yet. 

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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) holds the Lamar Hunt trophy after an AFC championship NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. The Bengals won 27-24 in overtime. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

As for the Jaguars’ weaponry around Lawrence, it still lags slightly behind the Bengals, though the acquisition of receiver Calvin Ridley, who remains on the NFL suspended list, will be a significant bump once he reports to work at TIAA Bank Field.  

What the Jaguars are at the moment is sort of what Cincy was leading up to last year’s Super Bowl run, albeit Jacksonville having a less dependable defense. But if Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd and Chad Muma make strides in Year 2, along with drafting an eventual impact cornerback or pass-rusher, you’ll see that gap close as well. 

For the most part, the Jaguars currently belong in a Bengals Light category. That said, both have long-term franchise QBs still on a rookie contract, plus their significant arsenal of weapons are all between the ages of 23 and 28. 

So other than the Chiefs — with five consecutive AFC Championship game appearances and heading to a third Super Bowl in four years — the Bengals and Jaguars appear to be shaping up as the most threatening AFC challengers to the reigning kings as anybody else. 

Second-half push  

This isn’t to suggest the Buffalo Bills (Josh Allen), Miami Dolphins (Tua Tagovailoa), Los Angeles Chargers (Justin Herbert) or Baltimore Ravens (if Lamar Jackson stays) don’t have the reliable quarterbacks to knock off the KC juggernaut. It’s not a stretch to think any of them could win a Super Bowl in the next three years. 

Plus, who knows what the Pittsburgh Steelers look like with Kenny Pickett down the road or the Cleveland Browns/New England Patriots if their quarterbacks get back in any kind of groove? 

For now, it just feels like the Bengals and Jaguars are trending closer toward being more consistent big-game hunters. 

Both franchises know the feeling of being stuck in the gutter and climbing out. Cincinnati had five consecutive losing seasons, including 2-14 and 4-11-1 in head coach Zac Taylor’s first two years, before hitting on two straight top-5 draft picks (Burrow and receiver Ja’Marr Chase) and scoring big in free agency elevated them to AFC elite status. 

Despite Burrow’s injury-marred rookie season, the Bengals made the biggest jump of any NFL franchise because Chase was an instant hit and the front office signed eight unrestricted free agents the past three years who became quality starters. 

Sound familiar? Not that Lawrence didn’t benefit in some ways from starting all 17 games as a rookie, but his development was certainly impeded by the Urban Meyer dumpster fire. 

Fortunately, the arrival of head coach Doug Pederson and a boatload of offensive weapons brought in by GM Trent Baalke allowed Lawrence to eventually flourish in Year 2. 

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Trevor Lawrence greet each other after their win over the Tennessee Titans clinched the AFC South title, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, in Jacksonville.

While the circumstances for Burrow were slightly different, his growth timeline had an eerily similar feel. The Bengals were 5-4 at the 2021 midway point — absorbing three losses by a field goal and a home blowout against Cleveland — before winning eight games in an 11-week stretch to reach the Super Bowl. 

Following Bengals’ model 

Despite having chances to upset the Chiefs in the AFC Divisional round before two late turnovers sabotaged them, the Jaguars resemble Cincinnati far more than Kansas City. 

The Chiefs are 11-7 in the postseason during Reid’s decade-long run in KC, second only to the Patriots’ Bill Belichick (13-5) in playoff victories during that span. KC has two certain Hall of Fame players in Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, while stalwart defensive lineman Chris Jones is starting to trend in that direction. 

Cincinnati and Jacksonville are too young to have those kind of impact players, but some talent on promising rosters could get there with more playoff seasoning. 

The Bengals lost their last two postseason games by 23-20 scores. They were one play away from beating the Los Angeles Rams in last year’s Super Bowl, and were maybe one first down away against the Chiefs from returning to the big game. 

Before the 2022 season, this is what Taylor told the Times-Union about the journey that took his Bengals from afterthought to breakout AFC contender:

“It wasn’t as simple as drafting a player or just signing random free agents we didn’t know anything about,” Taylor said. “We knew all along it was about adding the right football character. For us, it doesn’t always have to be Pro Bowl-caliber players. It just needs to be the right guys who understand their role and are going to make the roster better. 

“It allows you to play your best and reach your full potential as a team. That’s what I felt we did down the stretch [in 2021]. It doesn’t happen painlessly. The chemistry takes a while to get going.” 

After Sunday’s painful loss to KC, a subdued and furious-at-the-officiating Taylor added this was the “closest team I’ve ever been a part of.” 

Those separate comments in July and January were eerily similar to what came out of the mouths of Pederson, Baalke or any number of Jaguars’ players the past month. 

In 2023, a much tougher schedule will pit the Jaguars against KC, Cincinnati and the San Francisco 49ers at TIAA Bank Field, along with a road matchup against Buffalo. 

The time for Jacksonville to consistently emerge as an AFC force is now. Just like the Bengals already have. 

Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540