Jaguars steal victory from Bengals in defensive battle

Jacksonville claimed a road win in Cincinnati, who lost Ja'Marr Chase due to a concussion.

Leroy Hinds October 4, 2026·3 min read

The Jacksonville Jaguars headed into Cincinnati with plenty of momentum after a dominant 35-6 victory over New England had moved them to 2-1. Trevor Lawrence had started the season strongly, throwing 7 touchdowns against just 2 interceptions, and faced another major test against a Bengals defense that had shown improvement through three weeks.

Cincinnati also entered at 2-1, despite suffering a narrow 30-27 defeat to Pittsburgh the previous week. Joe Burrow had responded with his best performance of the season, throwing for 282 yards and 3 touchdowns, setting up an intriguing quarterback battle between two former 1st overall picks.

Jacksonville opened the scoring with Cam Little’s 55-yard field goal, before Evan McPherson responded with a 29-yard kick for Cincinnati early in the second quarter. The Bengals struggled to establish any rhythm on the ground, which has been a trend early in the season, leaving Joe Burrow to shoulder much of the offensive responsibility through the air.

That task became even more difficult when Ja’Marr Chase was forced from the game with a concussion early in the second quarter. Chase left after recording a trio of catches for 27 yards, removing one of the most dangerous weapons from an already pass-heavy Cincinnati offence.

The Jaguars capitalised almost immediately. After Burrow’s first interception of the afternoon handed Jacksonville possession in Bengals territory, Trevor Lawrence found Brian Thomas Jr. for a 7-yard touchdown with 90 seconds remaining in the half.

The score gave Jacksonville a 13-3 advantage, although the first half was anything but clean. Both teams combined for 16 accepted penalties, while Jacksonville also had multiple touchdowns wiped out by holding calls.

Cincinnati finally found an answer after halftime. Burrow connected with Mike Gesicki for a 15-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 3 points and briefly shifting momentum back towards the home side.

But Jacksonville’s defence continued to make the crucial plays.

Foyesade Oluokun intercepted Burrow in the fourth quarter as Cincinnati threatened in the red zone, denying the Bengals another opportunity to take control. The Jaguars then extended their advantage through Chris Rodriguez Jr., who broke free for a 25-yard touchdown run with under 7 minutes remaining.

Suddenly, Cincinnati needed a response.

Burrow provided one, leading a late touchdown drive and rushing for a one-yard score with just over three minutes remaining. The Bengals were within five, and after forcing Jacksonville to punt, had one final opportunity to complete the comeback.

For a moment, it looked as though Cincinnati might pull it off. Burrow moved the Bengals deep into Jacksonville territory with completions to Mitch Tinsley, Mike Gesicki and Dohnte Meyers, reaching the Jaguars’ 21-yard line with less than two minutes remaining.

But Jacksonville’s defence held firm. Three consecutive incomplete passes left Cincinnati facing a crucial 4th down, before a short completion to Chase Brown came up a yard short of the line to gain. The Jaguars took over with 56 seconds to play and were able to kneel out the clock.

For all of Burrow’s impressive numbers – 39 completions for 428 yards and a touchdown – the pair of interceptions proved costly. The Bengals’ inability to run the football compounded the problem, with Cincinnati managing just 23 rushing yards throughout the afternoon.

Tee Higgins stepped up in Chase’s absence, producing 11 receptions for 157 yards, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. Jacksonville, meanwhile, received another composed performance from Lawrence, who completed 18 of 23 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over.

For Cincinnati, the defeat drops them to 2-2 and leaves plenty of questions heading into Week 5, not least the extent of the injury to Chase. The Bengals moved the ball effectively with the passing game, but costly turnovers, an ineffective rushing attack and the loss of their star receiver proved too much to overcome.

Touchdowns

Jacksonville: Thomas Jr., Rodriguez Jr.
Cincinnati: Gesicki, Burrow