CINCINNATI (AP) The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t have a nightmare ending in Cincinnati for the second year in a row.
The Jacksonville defense made two key stops in the red zone — including stopping Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown 1 yard short of a first down with 50 seconds remaining — and Trevor Lawrence passed for 227 yards and a touchdown as the Jaguars held off the Bengals 22-17 on Sunday.
Being able to hold on for a close victory marked a milestone for Liam Coen’s team. Jacksonville lost to the Bengals 31-27 in Week 2 last year on a Jake Browning 1-yard score with 18 seconds left.
The Jags had another tough Week 2 this season in Denver, when the Broncos rallied with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
“You look at the last time we were in this locker room, we couldn’t close out a game where we couldn’t get it done offensively and the defense had to hold on and we ended up (in) a game of inches,” Coen said. “Proud of the growth and the group sticking with it and overcoming a lot of bad things, a lot of self-inflicted wounds.”
Lawrence completed 18 of 23 passes to beat the Bengals for the first time in four attempts. The sixth-year quarterback, the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has at least one win against every AFC opponent.
It was Lawrence’s first win over Bengals counterpart Joe Burrow in four matchups, dating back to the 2020 College Football Playoff title game between Clemson and LSU.
“It was good. You look at all the different games we played and they all went like today except we were on the other end of the game,” Lawrence said. “You’re going to have to win games like this throughout the season where you might not be playing your best and it’s not pretty, but find a way.”
Brian Thomas Jr. and Chris Rodriguez scored touchdowns for the Jaguars and Cam Little made three field goals.
Burrow passed for 428 yards for the Bengals, who lost All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase to a concussion in the second quarter. Tee Higgins had 11 receptions for 151 yards before suffering a groin injury in the fourth quarter.
Burrow, who completed 39 of 54 passes and had his eighth 400-yard game, also threw two interceptions – one that Jacksonville converted into a touchdown and the other when the Bengals were in the red zone.
“We know we had some chances. We have to find a way to not turn the ball over there, especially the one in the red zone. That’s the one that bothers me the most. I was under pressure and I was trying to get rid of it and I didn’t see (the defender),” said Burrow, who threw a touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki and a quarterback score, both in the second half.
Rodriguez raced 25 yards from left guard to put the Jaguars ahead 22-10 with 6:25 left. 2-point conversion failed.
The Bengals responded three minutes later with a nine-play touchdown drive, capped by Burrow’s 1-yard sneak.
Parker Washington appeared to put the Jaguars away on third-and-10 when he caught a screen pass from Lawrence and raced 39 yards to the Bengals 16. But replays showed Washington went out of bounds at the Bengals 48.
After a punt, the Bengals got the ball back at their 17 with 1:44 left. Burrow completed three straight passes and moved Cincinnati to the Jaguars 21, but then missed three straight passes.
On fourth-and-10, Burrow found Brown in the flat. Brown beat linebacker Foyesade Oluokun but safety Rayuan Lane III stopped him 1 yard out at the 12.
Cincinnati has lost two games in a row after winning its first two for the second year in a row, which didn’t make coach Zac Taylor happy. From the adjoining interview room, the eighth-year coach could be heard tearing into his team in the locker room.
“I believe in these guys. Really disappointed that we lost. We’re not the type of team this year that’s going to take comfort in losing. I think we lost some tough games against some really good teams,” Taylor said.
Jacksonville had a 6-3 advantage before Jourdan Lewis caught Burrow’s pass intended for Dohnte Meyers and returned it 45 yards down the left sideline to the Bengals 18.
It was the ninth straight game in which the Jaguars recorded an interception, a franchise record and the longest active streak in the NFL.
Four plays later, Lawrence found Thomas wide open in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown to make it 13-3 with 1:23 left in the first half.
Referee Alex Moore’s team called 24 penalties for 244 yards. This crew came in fourth for most penalties called through the first three weeks after leading the league last season. The first half saw 16 penalties for 149 yards.
“I’ve never really seen something this big in the first half of a football game,” Coen said.
Jaguars: Safety Caleb Ransaw left with a knee injury in the first quarter and did not return. Safety guard Eric Murray was ruled out in the second half with a concussion.
Jaguars: Face the Philadelphia Eagles in London next Sunday.
Bengals: At Miami next Sunday.
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