The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off their biggest win of the season, a 35-6 rout of the New England Patriots in Week 3. But standing between the Jags and a 3-1 record is a road trip to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Entering Week 4 fresh off a disheartening 30-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bengals (2-1) are preparing for a bounce-back game against the Jaguars (2-1), who haven’t won a game on the road in Cincinnati since 2019.
"It's any given Sunday; anything can happen regardless of record and past histories,” Jags head coach Liam Coen said. “Everybody is pretty good. You have to have a game plan, but we have to go play and it's about blocking longer, tackling fundamentals, but also our best players and our guys, we have to go make some plays, too."
Two explosive offenses will take the field at Paycor Stadium, but the outcome will largely depend on both teams’ defenses. The Jaguars and Bengals have both averaged around 27 points per game thus far, but Jacksonville has allowed far fewer points per game to opponents (12) than Cincinnati (21).
If one team can win the turnover battle and keep its defense off the field for extended periods, it should give its offense ample time to find a spark. The Jags have snagged four interceptions through three games; The Bengals have logged just one.
Cincinnati is no slouch in the turnover game, though, evidenced by its four fumble recoveries in a Week 1 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Both defenses have flashed solid run defense thus far, but each has struggled to limit explosive plays. Over three weeks, the Jaguars and Bengals have allowed 236 and 260 passing yards per game, respectively, underscoring their inability to stop chunk-yardage gains and contain opposing quarterbacks.
For Jacksonville’s defense, limiting the receiving duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will be its tallest task. The pair has combined for 429 yards and four touchdowns on 32 receptions, and both have seen their number of catches increase each week. Chase boasts elite burst speed after the catch, while Higgins excels at making contested catches and burning opposing defenses when they devote too much attention to Chase.
Against a Jaguars unit that allowed 288 passing yards in Week 2 and 234 passing yards to a struggling Patriots offense in Week 3, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow — who has tallied 743 yards and six touchdowns on 73-of-103 passing — will be hunting for his top two pass catchers early and often.
“He’s a tremendous athlete,” Jags defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said of Chase. “He’s got great hands, obviously. I think he’s super elusive on the line of scrimmage and I think he does a very good job in the break area.”
But a Jaguars offense headlined by quarterback Trevor Lawrence and receiver Parker Washington will be ready to strike as well.
Washington has paced the Jags with 221 yards and two touchdowns on 15 receptions, and he leads the team in explosive catches (20 yards or more) with three. Lawrence has proven efficient as well, throwing for four touchdowns in the season opener and three more in Week 3. Though he’s thrown an interception in back-to-back weeks, Lawrence has remained composed under center and completed 54 of 81 passes for 616 yards. He has also scrambled for first downs on four of his eight carries.
“I think what's cool about Parker is the strength at the catch point … Having a mentality when the ball is in the air, it’s mine,” Coen said. “Trevor’s got the confidence and Parker’s got the confidence to go and [make plays].”
With weapons like receivers Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., Josh Cameron and tight end Brenton Strange at his disposal, Lawrence has been able to captain a versatile offense and spread the ball around to various playmakers.
Regarding penalties, the Jaguars have been slightly more disciplined through three games. They’ve seen 15 penalties set them back 121 yards, while the Bengals have totaled 25 penalties for 165 yards. If each team can play clean football Sunday, the offensive line that plays with efficiency and helps establish a rushing game early will provide their franchise with a huge advantage.
“From a leadership standpoint, that was a huge emphasis; going into training camp was the self-inflicted wounds and some of those things,” Coen said. “We have a hard enough time lining up and beating an opponent. If we consistently put ourselves at a disadvantage, we're obviously not giving ourselves the best chance to be successful on Sunday."
Additionally, keeping Lawrence and Burrow away from pressure could allow for explosive plays downfield and minimize third-and-long opportunities for either team. Lawrence has been sacked four times through three games, while Burrow has been sacked seven times. The Bengals allowed Burrow to be sacked on the final drive of their Week 3 loss, leading to a game-sealing fumble recovery by Pittsburgh.
With the Jags and Bengals holding opponents to 91 and 96 yards per game on the ground, respectively, the production of running backs Bhayshul Tuten and Chase Brown will play a big role in Sunday’s game, which is expected to be the highest-scoring of Week 4 — ESPN has the over/under listed at 51.5 points, the most of any game this week.
Both Tuten and Brown have emerged as the clear-cut lead backs for their teams, but Tuten’s efficiency stands out. He’s logged six fewer carries than Brown, but has rushed for an additional seven yards and one more touchdown. Brown has totaled 197 yards and a touchdown on 49 carries, while Tuten has rushed for 204 and two touchdowns on 43 carries.
Even while splitting carries with Chris Rodriguez Jr., Tuten has gained 13 first downs to Brown’s 10. The Cincinnati back has seen more targets in the passing game as well, but Tuten has still proven more efficient as a pass-catcher. Brown has caught 10 passes for 32 yards on 13 targets, while Tuten has logged 36 receiving yards on just five targets.
With Jacksonville and Cincinnati each looking to avoid a 2-2 start, high-level play from their respective quarterbacks and the minimization of defensive miscues will be crucial for either team to sustain a strong start to its season. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday at Paycor Stadium.
"We have to make it turn; we have to go win it," Lawrence said.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @maxbernstein23.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Max Bernstein is a fourth-year sports and media journalism major and sports management minor. This Fall, he is a Sports Editor and a Florida Gators and Jacksonville Jaguars reporter at The Alligator. Now in his ninth semester with The Alligator, Max previously served in roles including Digital Managing Editor, Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor and Football Reporter. He has also made appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. In the rare moments Max isn't working, he's usually with his girlfriend Reese, watching sports with his fraternity brothers or missing his family and his two cats.
Curan is a senior sports journalism student in his sixth semester at The Alligator. He is currently a sports editor and football beat reporter for the Gators and the Jaguars. He previously served as a men's tennis and sports enterprise reporter, and he is pursuing a public relations minor.
