Trevor Lawrence finally got the better of Joe Burrow, and the Jacksonville Jaguars left Cincinnati with a 22-17 win that came with plenty of drama, a mountain of penalties and a big injury blow for the Bengals.
Lawrence was sharp throughout, finishing 18 of 22 for 227 yards and a touchdown as Jacksonville improved to 3-1. Bhayshul Tuten carried 17 times for 73 yards, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. punched in a 25-yard touchdown run for the Jaguars.
For Cincinnati, Burrow put up huge numbers in defeat, going 39 of 54 for 428 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Tee Higgins was a major target all day with 11 catches for 157 yards, while Chase Brown added 11 receptions for 71 yards. The Bengals fell to 2-2.
The game turned on a few huge swings, starting with Jacksonville’s first touchdown after Jourdan Lewis picked off Burrow and returned it 45 yards to the Cincinnati 18. Later, Lawrence delivered one of his best throws of the day, lofting a pass over a cluster of Bengals defenders to Brian Thomas Jr. for a 13-3 lead just before halftime.
Cincinnati answered to open the second half with a 12-play, 67-yard march that ended when Burrow found Mike Gesicki for a 15-yard touchdown over the middle. But the Bengals couldn’t quite finish the climb.
With Jacksonville ahead 16-10, Burrow hit Higgins for 26 yards to the Jaguars’ 10 and had Cincinnati threatening to take the lead. The next snap changed everything: Burrow threw toward Mitch Tinsley, and Foyesade Oluokun stepped in front for the interception.
Jacksonville nearly put it away on a third-down pass from Lawrence to Parker Washington, but replay wiped out what looked like a sealing play, ruling Washington’s heel out of bounds near midfield.
Cincinnati got one last chance, driving to the Jacksonville 25. But on fourth-and-10, a pass for Brown came up short. Then, on second down, Burrow missed an open Mike Gesicki in the end zone on what would have been the go-ahead score.
The Bengals also had to finish the game without Ja’Marr Chase, who left with concussion symptoms and did not return after halftime. Chase caught three passes for 27 yards before exiting.
The injury came with 12 minutes left in the second quarter, when Chase was hit after Jarrian Jones turned his facemask and Ventrell Miller came in with a helmet-to-head shot that drove Chase to the turf. Chase got up under his own power, was checked in the tent, then went to the locker room before being ruled out at halftime.
It was a messy game in more ways than one. Referee Alex Moore’s crew called 23 accepted penalties, including 16 in the first half, the most in the NFL this season for a half.
Both teams had touchdown runs erased by holding calls: Cincinnati’s Samaje Perine had a 14-yard run wiped out by a Dylan Fairchild hold, while Jacksonville lost a 44-yard Tuten run because of an Ezra Cleveland hold. Tuten later had a 3-yard touchdown run negated by another hold.
Cincinnati was also without starting safety Bryan Cook, who sat out with an ankle injury. Russ Yeast and PJ Jules filled in for him.
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 🡒]