SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 30, 2012
Bengals 27, Jaguars 10: Andy Dalton passed for two touchdowns and ran for another and Cincinnati's defense turned in its strongest effort of the season as the visiting Bengals beat Jacksonville for their third straight win.
A.J. Green had six catches for 117 yards for the Bengals, giving him back-to-back 100-yard games for the first time in his career. He caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Dalton early in the fourth quarter for a 24-10 lead.
Cincinnati's defense entered the game ranked 31st in the league against the run, but held Jaguars star Maurice Jones-Drew to 38 yards on 13 carries. The Bengals' pass rush continued to impress, racking up six sacks for the second straight game. They lead the NFL with 17 for the season.
The Bengals (3-1) also recorded their first interception of the campaign, as newly signed Chris Crocker was the first player to pick off a Blaine Gabbert pass this year. Gabbert had gone 130 passes without an interception.
Cincinnati pulled away from Jacksonville (1-3) when Dalton led consecutive scoring drives late in the second quarter. He gave the Bengals a 10-7 lead with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Chris Pressley and punched in a 1-yard run to make it 17-7 with 1:11 left in the half.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Bengals have won the past three meetings after losing nine of the previous 10. … After going 589 touches without a fumble over his first five seasons in the NFL, Bengals RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis has fumbled in consecutive games. … WR Justin Blackmon, Jacksonville's first-round draft pick this year, had six catches for 48 yards.