Josh Jones Stars, Ty Montgomery Struggles as Packers Beat Bengals

For two weeks, Josh Jones was a ticking time bomb. On Sunday, he exploded.

The rookie second round pick stuffed the stat sheet for the Packers, piling up big numbers and providing an athletic burst in the middle of a defense that badly needed a jump start.

Jones finished Sunday’s game with 11 solo tackles, the most any Packers defender has recorded in a game so far this season.

Three of his tackles went for a loss, more than any Packers defender has recorded in a game so far this season.

And his two sacks? Also the most by any Packers defender in a single game so far this season.

Suffice it to say, an excellent first shot at extended action for Jones, whose role on defense should only increase as the season continues.

Four Downs from Packers/Bengals

1. The Packers defense can’t get its hands on the ball. After failing to force a turnover on Sunday, the Packers have now gone nine quarters without generating a takeaway. The last one came during the third quarter of the season opener, when Mike Daniels forced a fumble on a sack of Russell Wilson.

The Packers have yet to record an interception this season; it’s only the third time since 1988 that the team hasn’t had an interception in the first three games.

2. Ty Montgomery did very little with a lot of chances. All credit to the Bengals’ defense where it’s due, but Ty Montgomery did not do much when called upon this week. Montgomery carried the ball 12 times for 35 yards and caught eight passes for 15 yards, producing just 50 total yards from scrimmage.

Montgomery is the first player since 1979 to record 50 or fewer yards from scrimmage on 20 or more touches.

A healthy offensive line would go a long way towards bolstering Montgomery’s numbers, but you’d think he’d be able to find his way past 50 yards on that many opportunities.

3. The Packers have yet to return a kickoff this season. Opposing teams have kicked to the Packers 14 times so far this season, and 13 times the Packers have elected to take a knee in the end zone. The 14th kick went out of bounds.

4. Big plays finally arrived. The Packers entered Sunday’s game without a single play of 40 or more yards. The showdown with Cincinnati produced three such plays: a 41-yard pass to Davante Adams, a 51-yard pass to Lance Kendricks, and a 72-yard pass to Geronimo Allison.