Jaguars TE Strange Has Career Day Against Bengals

The Jacksonville Jaguars continued their hot start to the NFL season on Sunday, moving to 3-1 with a 22-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The defensive line did a great job pressuring Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow, while Travis Hunter and the Jacksonville secondary forced him into two interceptions.

Offensively, it was a quiet day from the Jaguars' receiving corps as a whole, but starting tight end Brenton Strange picked up the slack.

After a relatively quiet first three weeks, Strange led all Jaguars with 95 yards and seven receptions on Sunday, posting his most single-game receiving yards of his career.

Strange did a great job making himself available for starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence, while helping to keep the chains moving on third down (3 catches for 52 yards).

With just over two minutes to play in the fourth quarter and Jacksonville holding onto a five-point lead, Strange caught a pass over the middle on 3rd and 8, converting and allowing the clock to tick to the two-minute warning.

While the Bengals would get the ball back with time to score, this catch forced them to burn their final two timeouts, and limited their opportunities on the potential game-winning drive.

It was a great day overall for Strange, coming through in a game where Jacksonville's usual receiving threats were held in check.

But, he nearly had a big blunder in the third quarter, attempting a hurdle on the right sideline and getting the ball punched out of his control.

Luckily, veteran wideout Jakobi Meyers made a heads-up play, knocking the ball out of bounds and keeping possession for Jacksonville.

Following the win, Strange was asked about his acrobatic attempt, joking that he is "done" trying to hurdle defenders going forward.

For Jacksonville, who rewarded Strange with a 3-year deal worth $36 million in the offseason, this was the type of performance the front office was looking for.

Going forward, Strange's ability to keep the chains moving and be a threat over the middle of the field adds another element to head coach Liam Coen's offensive attack.

Next week, against the Philadelphia Eagles, Strange will have the opportunity to carry over this success against a team who has been susceptible to allowing big days from tight ends.

In the Eagles' Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, tight end Tyler Higbee recorded five catches for 67 yards, notching 33 of his yards in the fourth quarter.

Jacksonville faces off with Philadelphia at 9:30 a.m. from London, as the team looks to build a lead in the AFC South race.