Jaguars 22, Bengals 17: Two Picks, Then a Yard Short

October 4, 2026 - Cincinnati - Joe Burrow threw for 428 yards and still walked off a loser. The last snap was fourth-and-10 from the Jaguars' 21. Jacksonville stopped it a yard short. Paycor Stadium had 66,492 in the seats, the eighth-largest home crowd in Bengals history, and no answer for two interceptions.

The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Cincinnati Bengals 22-17. Jacksonville is 3-1. Cincinnati is 2-2. Trevor Lawrence was 18 of 23 for 227 yards and a score. He was sacked four times. He did not throw a pick. Liam Coen called it clunky. It was also Jacksonville's first win over Cincinnati since 2019.

13-3 at the half, then the long kicks

Cam Little opened from 55, per ESPN and nflverse (two makes from 50-plus and one from 20-29). The Jaguars' game report listed a 29-yarder as the first score. The weekly line matches the 55. Evan McPherson tied it from 29 after 14 plays. A roughing-the-passer flag on Arik Armstead had wiped a Travis Hunter interception on that drive. Little from 28. 6-3.

Jourdan Lewis intercepted Burrow and returned it to the Cincinnati 18. Four plays later Lawrence hit Brian Thomas Jr. from 7 with 1:23 left in the half. 13-3. Thomas had two catches for 17. Coen had spent the week talking about snap counts and narratives. The 7-yarder was the snap that counted.

Burrow opened the second half with 12 plays and a 15-yard throw to Mike Gesicki. 13-10. Little from 54. 16-10. Foye Oluokun intercepted Burrow at the Jacksonville 10 early in the fourth and preserved that lead. Oluokun also forced a fumble. The Jaguars' wrap put that pick as the red-zone stop that kept it a one-score game the right way.

22-10, 22-17, a yard short

Chris Rodriguez Jr. ran 25 yards with 6:35 left. The two-point pass failed. 22-10. Rodriguez had six carries for 35 and that score. Bhayshul Tuten led the ground game with 17 carries for 73. Brenton Strange caught seven for 95. Jakobi Meyers had three for 33.

Burrow punched in from a yard at 3:28. 22-17. Nine plays, 71 yards. Cincinnati got the ball back at 1:56. The last chance died at the 21. Coen said he was proud of the growth. Lawrence said they had lost a game like this in Denver two weeks earlier. This was the bounce back.

Burrow completed 39 of 54. Two interceptions. One rushing score. Tee Higgins caught 11 for 157, a season high in both, one shy of his career catch mark. Chase Brown had 11 catches for 71 and nine carries for 10. Ja'Marr Chase caught three for 27. Cincinnati had 437 yards and 26 first downs. Jacksonville had 323 and two takeaways. The run defense held Cincinnati to 23 rushing yards, per the Jaguars, and still needed the last stop.

Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, and Kris Jenkins each sacked Lawrence. Dexter Lawrence had one too. Armstead and Danny Striggow sacked Burrow. It was not a pretty road win. It was the kind Coen said you need if you want January. The Jaguars had been 0-3 against Cincinnati with Lawrence starting, all three decided in the final 18 seconds or overtime. Sunday ended with time still on the clock and the ball on the wrong side of a yard.

AthX Engine on 428 yards that lost

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 4 lines in. Mafe's sack and three tackles for loss land at 47.00. Lewis is 45.50. Higgins is 44.75. Burrow is 43.74. Oluokun is 40.00. Strange is 34.25. Jacksonville's team line is 61.75.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a Jaguars defense that stole two Burrow throws, and for Higgins after 157 yards in a home loss. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Lawrence, Burrow, Higgins, Thomas, and both clubs on the marketplace. Philadelphia visits Jacksonville on Oct. 11. Cincinnati visits Miami that afternoon.

*Sources: ESPN game page, Jaguars.com game report, Jaguars storylines, Bengals.com recap. Jaguars.com listed Little's first field goal as 29 yards; ESPN and nflverse weekly kicking splits match a 55-yard make, a 28-yarder, and a 54-yarder. AthX Engine Week 4 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats (CC-BY 4.0). Information only; not financial advice.*