The Jaguars are heading into Week 4 with a road trip to Cincinnati and a chance to erase one of the few losses from the Liam Coen era. That alone makes this a meaningful test, but the matchup gets heavier when you stack it against what the Bengals bring to the table: Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and a passing game that has given Jacksonville problems in recent years.
For Jacksonville, the first thing worth watching is whether Brian Thomas Jr. finally gets rolling again. He’s had the kind of uneven start that can vanish quickly if the matchup opens up, and this one could set up better than some of the recent looks he’s seen. Coen sounded encouraged by what he saw from Thomas in the lead-up to the game.
“Great week. I thought he had a great week.
He had a really good day yesterday," Coen said Friday before the final practice of the week. "Trev [QB Trevor Lawrence], he connected on a number of passes yesterday.
Thought he's responded in a great way and continues to do so. Going to need him, like I've said, we're going to need all these guys to obviously continue to make plays for us out on the perimeter.
Need him to continue to do that.”
That makes Thomas one of the biggest swing pieces in this game. If the Jaguars lean into 12 personnel, his volume could stay limited unless Jacksonville hits on a deep ball early. And if that happens, it could underline how thin the margin is for the receivers beyond Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers.
The other obvious pressure point is on defense, where Jacksonville has already shown it can play at a high level for stretches. The Jaguars have put together 10 quarters of fantastic football in 2026, but the second-half breakdowns against the Denver Broncos and Jaylen Waddle are still part of the picture. Cincinnati is built to test exactly that kind of weakness.
The Bengals don’t just attack with star power. They also lean into the sort of offense that can make life miserable for Jacksonville when the pass rush doesn’t get home.
Quick throws, moving pockets and a heavy dose of chips are all part of the equation, and Burrow gets the ball out fast. That’s the kind of style that has exposed the Jaguars before, and it will be on Jacksonville to show it has moved past those issues.
Then there’s Travis Hunter, who is walking into a much bigger defensive assignment than the one he had when these teams last met. In Week 2 last season, he was mostly a wide receiver, though he did get flagged for a critical defensive pass interference late in that game.
This version of Hunter is different. He’s coming off the best defensive game of his career, he’s taking on more snaps every week, and he looks more comfortable at cornerback than he has since he was drafted.
“First of all, I thought he did a really good job overall. And I thought that as the game went, it just got better and better," Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said this week.
"For most guys too, you know what I mean? When you're in there and you're getting an accumulation of reps, the game seems to always slow down for you.
I thought he really took advantage of that as the game went on. I think he can definitely grow.
I think confidence comes always from having success. I'm excited for him.
I thought he did a good job the other day.”
Hunter’s interception last week only added to the momentum. Now the question is whether he can carry that forward against one of the league’s most dangerous passing attacks. That’s the next layer of this game for Jacksonville, and it’s a big one.
In Other News...
Ja'Marr Chase Update Carries Big Consequences After Jaguars Hit
The Jaguars left Cincinnati with a game that carried more than one ripple effect, and JaMarr Chase became one of the biggest after taking a concussion in the first half of Sundays meeting. Chase was ruled out for the rest of the game after catching three passes for 27 yards, a reminder of how quickly a matchup can turn when one of the leagues most dangerous receivers is forced to the sideline.
For Jacksonville, the immediate focus is on what comes next for the Bengals offense and whether Chase can get through concussion protocol in time for Week 5 against Miami. His availability matters not just because of his production, but because of how much the Bengals lean on him when the games start to tighten up. The next few days will determine whether that injury stays a one-game interruption or lingers into another important AFC matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Lawrence Faces An Early AFC Test Jaguars Fans Will Feel
The Jaguars head into Week 4 with a good early read on where they stand, and Sundays trip to Cincinnati figures to say plenty more. Jacksonville and the Bengals both sit at 2-1, which gives this matchup a little more weight than your usual September road game, especially with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET at Paycor Stadium and a national CBS audience watching Trevor Lawrence get another AFC measuring stick.
Lawrence has been steady enough to keep Jacksonville in the mix, but Joe Burrow and the Bengals bring the kind of quarterback test that can expose what still needs cleaning up on both sides of the ball. The numbers around each offense and defense point to two teams trying to separate from the pack, and for the Jaguars, this is the sort of early conference game that can shape how seriously the rest of the league takes them. [Read more 🡒]
Tee Higgins Injury Leaves Bengals Facing One Big Offensive Concern
Tee Higgins night ended early against the Jaguars after the Cincinnati wide receiver suffered an adductor injury late in the game and tried, unsuccessfully, to return. For a Bengals offense that leans heavily on its top pass catchers, any issue with Higgins is worth watching closely, especially when it comes on the heels of a physical matchup and leaves another layer of uncertainty in the passing game.
Cincinnati has not offered a recovery timeline, and the next step is further evaluation to determine just how long Higgins might be sidelined. For Jacksonville, the injury was one of the more notable late-game developments from a contest that already carried its share of contact and consequences, and it now puts the Bengals in wait-and-see mode with a key receiver whose availability can shape how that offense looks in the coming weeks. [Read more 🡒]