JACKSONVILLE - Tight end Brenton Strange posted a career-best 95 receiving yards on seven receptions Sunday, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 22-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati and pushing the AFC South leaders to a 3-1 start.
Strange, a fourth-year player selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, entered the game with just seven receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown on the season. His 23- and 14-yard first-quarter receptions set up a field goal by kicker Cam Little, and his 16-yard reception in the fourth quarter set up a 25-yard touchdown run by running back Chris Rodriguez Jr.
“I was pleased,” Head Coach Liam Coen said of Strange’s performance. “We definitely felt like with some of their injuries at the safety position, specifically, that we felt Brenton could take advantage of some of those matchups and made some really good plays and caught the ball strong, made some people miss.”
The performance reflects a receiving corps that now has four players with more than 100 yards and at least one touchdown through four games: Strange (14 receptions, 167 yards), wide receiver Parker Washington (16 receptions, 228 yards, two touchdowns), wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (13 receptions, 165 yards, two touchdowns) and wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (nine receptions, 105 yards, one touchdown). Rookie wide receiver Josh Cameron has added five receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns. The offense ranks ninth in the NFL in passing touchdowns through four games.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence called Strange a “guy [who] just does a lot for our team,” adding: “He can block in the run game, in the pass game, all that stuff. Then, obviously you see what he can do with the ball in his hands. He’s a matchup.”
Lawrence credited the selflessness of the receiving group for the offense’s balance. “It’s not everyone’s day every Sunday,” Lawrence said. “The ball finds who’s open and what the defense kind of dictates. I think that’s a good thing about our guys, they’re not selfish.”
Strange said the depth of Jacksonville’s pass-catchers makes the offense difficult to defend. “You have guys that can stretch the field, play in the mid, underneath range, and it’s a good thing to have that problem,” he said.
The Jaguars’ defense has also contributed to the fast start, forcing eight takeaways through four games - including red-zone interceptions by linebacker Foyesade Oluokun in Weeks 1 and 4, cornerback Jourdan Lewis in Week 2 and cornerback Travis Hunter in Week 3. Safety Antonio Johnson credited the scheme: “We play very physical and the way that our coverage and our rush match up together, it forces the quarterbacks to make decisions that they don’t want to make.”
Jacksonville faces the Philadelphia Eagles, who are 2-2, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday.