After easily cruising past the Panthers in Week 1, the Jaguars now turn to a much tougher challenge against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Head coach Liam Coen knows this game won’t be easy, but he and his squad aren’t stepping into it unprepared. With a new strategy in place for their rookie, Travis Hunter, and lessons learned from the Week 1 game’s mistakes and penalties, the Jaguars know this battle is not going to be easy. Even so, Coen must keep his locker room alert to brace for the storm that lies ahead.

During his latest press conference, Coen was asked about the Bengals’ quarterback. “His accuracy, the pinpoint of it, his ability to put balls in tight spaces, give those guys opportunities, he does well. He knows them so well, and what they do well and how they want the ball thrown to him, it’s clear that they have, you know, chemistry,” the coach pointed out why Burrow might have an edge in Week 2.

However, the Bengals’ offensive struggles in their 17-16 win over the Browns didn’t go unnoticed to coach Coen. It was the defense that carried most of the load, which again could spell double trouble for Coen and his squad. While he spoke highly of Burrow. At the same time, this might have also been a subtle warning to the Jaguars’ locker room.

Perhaps he also intended to spark a competitive fire in the players, pushing them to grind harder and show their best form against the Bengals. Putting his team on alert about Burrow, he said, “And yeah, it’s a challenge. For sure, he’s a player that can wreck the game. He can, you know, obviously last week he was more so getting back in and didn’t play every snap. But anticipate him playing more as it continues to get comfortable and get more acclimated. But definitely somebody that can wreck the game on how to handle going into a real environment.” Sure hope that the team is listening and taking notes.

This is even more important after the Jaguars’ Week 1, where both Coen and Trevor Lawrence voiced their dissatisfaction with the offense and the avoidable penalties that hurt the team. The team struggled with the same issues in the preseason, too. “We cannot start to beat people until we stop beating ourselves,” Coen said.

Now, the Jaguars know they need every ounce of preparation they can get and even more after NFL SpinZone writer Lou Scataglia’s prediction for the Week 2 clash. “I actually feel sorry for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Joe Burrow is going to play like a man possessed and toss five touchdown passes against a below-average secondary in a massive Bengals’ win,” he wrote. But the future is not yet doomed for the Jaguars. And certainly not after Coen’s big plans for Hunter.

Liam Coen opened up about his plans for Travis Hunter

The Jaguars leaned heavily on Hunter as a wide receiver in Week 1 against the Panthers, giving him 39 snaps on offense compared to just six on defense. But it seems the coach has a different plan for Week 2. Coen shared that Hunter’s role might expand on the defensive side of the ball in the game against the Bengals. “Going into Week 1, it was, ‘OK, we know that it’s not going to be a ton on defense. The goal is to increase and continue to increase [his defensive snaps]. It just so happens that we’re playing Cincinnati with two good wideouts this week,” he told Michael DiRocco of ESPN.

That shift in roles raises a challenge for Hunter. Facing either Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins is a steep jump for Hunter after such limited defensive reps in Week 1. Back in that game, he led the team in both receptions and targets and had six catches for 33 yards. So, he has shown his mettle on the offense. However, the Bengals’ struggles from the last game could have also contributed to his decision.

The Bengals’ defense was undeniably brilliant, and that could be a bit too much for the rookie. Hunter made headlines when he entered as a two-way player. And he has remained confident despite doubts from several analysts and experts. Week 2 will be his chance to prove them right or wrong, which remains to be seen.