After the Bengals’ first loss of the 2026 season, Sunday brings a chance to snap back into the win column - and it won’t come easy. Cincinnati hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars in a matchup that pits two AFC contenders against each other, with Jacksonville arriving fresh off a 35-6 win over the New England Patriots.
If the Bengals are going to respond the right way, the margins have to tighten fast.
The first order of business is keeping the Jaguars from ripping off chunk gains. Cincinnati had a rough time doing that against Pittsburgh, where the Steelers stacked seven explosive plays and found success both on the ground and through the air.
Jacksonville has the kind of offense that can punish the same mistakes. Trevor Lawrence leads a passing attack that includes Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, and Brian Thomas Jr., all capable of hitting downfield in a hurry.
Bhayshul Tuten has also been the steady piece in the run game, averaging 4.7 yards per carry this season.
The Bengals also have to clean up the self-inflicted damage that helped sink them last week. Cincinnati was penalized 12 times in Week 2 at Houston and still won 20-6, then cut that total to six in Week 3 at Pittsburgh - but the timing of those flags mattered.
Amarius Mims was penalized for lining up too far in the backfield on the second possession, wiping out a Tee Higgins first down catch and forcing the Bengals into a field goal. That was only part of the problem.
Special teams created even bigger issues, directly leading to 10 Steelers points. Darrin Simmons called for a punt block with Cincinnati up three in the second half, Cedric Johnson roughed the punter, and Pittsburgh cashed in with a touchdown a few plays later.
After the Bengals retook the lead, Ke’Shawn Williams muffed a punt and PJ Jules tried to bend down and pick the ball up instead of diving on it, allowing the Steelers to recover and tack on three more points. Even then, Cincinnati still had a late shot to salvage the game, moving into field-goal range before Dalton Risner was blown up by Derrick Harmon, which led to a Joe Burrow sack fumble and a Pittsburgh recovery.
That kind of sloppiness is exactly what Cincinnati can’t bring into a game against Jacksonville. The Jaguars forced two Drake Maye interceptions and added two more Maye fumbles in their win over New England, and the message is simple: don’t hand them extra chances.
On offense, the Bengals may need to lean on what has looked most comfortable rather than forcing a broader rushing plan. Jacksonville’s run defense has been stout, ranking eighth in the NFL and allowing just 91 rushing yards per game.
Cincinnati has also looked too predictable when it runs from under center, and Joe Burrow hasn’t seemed fully comfortable using play action from that alignment. The cleaner path may be to use shotgun more often, where the Bengals have had more success running the ball and can let Burrow read the defense from a more natural setup.
When they do run it, the plays need to count.
In Other News...
Joe Burrow Clutch Debate Just Took A Turn Bengals Fans Needed
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Ryan Fitzpatrick pushed back on that framing, breaking down Burrows late-game drives and finding a very different picture. His review showed Burrow successfully tied or took the lead in 18 of 27 such chances, a reminder that the biggest clutch debate around Cincinnatis quarterback may be more complicated than a single ugly record suggests, even if the result in Pittsburgh left the conversation hanging. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Head Into Jaguars Week With Two Major Lineup Questions
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Bengals May Be Leaving Offensive Upside On The Table
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That matters because the Bengals have been searching for more efficiency in the parts of the offense where deception should matter most, especially in play-action. The question hanging over the position is whether Cincinnati is leaving some upside on the table by not getting All more involved, and whether a bigger role for him could help unlock a passing game that still feels like it has more room to grow. [Read more 🡒]