Joe Burrow didn’t have Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins on the field at the end of Sunday’s game, but he almost brought the Bengals back against the Jaguars.
Burrow hit Mitchell Tinsley, Mike Gesicki, and Dohnte Meyers with passes that covered 62 yards and moved the Bengals to the 21-yard-line in the final minute with the Jaguars up by five, but three straight incompletions left Cincinnati with a fourth-and-10 to keep the game alive. Burrow hit running back Chase Brown with a short pass and he was brought down by defensive back Rayuan Lane one yard short of the sticks.
That made the Jaguars 22-17 winners a short time after it looked like they were in position to run the clock out on their own. Wide receiver Parker Washington broke loose for a 39-yard gain up the sideline on a third down after the two-minute warning, but replays showed he stepped out short of the first down and the Jaguars had to punt the ball away.
The defense was able to hold at the end and that was fitting because they were strong all day. Burrow threw a pair of interceptions and had a third wiped out due to a roughing the passer penalty on defensive lineman Arik Armstead. The Bengals quarterback finished the day with 428 passing yards, but the second pick was particularly painful as it came in the red zone with the Bengals in position to take their first lead of the afternoon.
Chase was ruled out after going for a concussion evaluation in the second quarter and Higgins went to the medical tent late in the fourth quarter. Higgins had 11 catches for 157 yards and Brown also had 11 catches as the Bengals found a way to get their offense moving despite Chase’s absence, but they had no success running the football and the Jaguars were able to give themselves breathing room with a 76-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
That drive was aided by a facemask penalty that was one of 11 Bengals penalties on the day. The Jaguars had 13 penalties of their own and the sloppiness is something that head coach Liam Coen will likely focus on despite the result.
Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence was 18-of-23 for 227 yards and was sacked four times over the course of the afternoon. Bhayshul Tuten ran 17 times for 73 yards and Chris Rodriguez capped that fourth quarter drive with a 25-yard touchdown run.
Jacksonville is now 3-1 with a visit from the reeling Eagles on tap next Sunday. The Bengals have lost two in a row, but should have a chance to get right against the Dolphins in Week 5.