Grading the Jacksonville Jaguars' 22-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 4 at Cincinnati's Paycor Stadium.
The Jaguars will next play the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Offense: C
QB Trevor Lawrence (18 of 23, 227 yards) turned in a performance that was more blue-collar than lights-out, and did not turn the ball over. One nagging issue was that the Jags couldn't figure out a way to get leading receiver Parker Washington (one reception, 7 yards) open.
Lawrence wasn't protected particularly well (four sacks) and the running game was unable to eat away at the clock late in the game without letting the Bengals have a possession with a chance to win. The Jags ran for 111 yards, but every one was hard-earned. On
their final possession, when the Jags had to burn time, they netted minus-2 yards on three running plays.
Before that, Bhayshul Tuten had another solid game. He gained 73 yards on 17 carries and had two receptions for 18 yards, and Chris Rodriguez scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on a sudden 25-yard burst with 6:35 remaining.
Also, welcome back to the offense, Brenton Strange. The Jaguars' tight end had his second-most receptions in one game with seven, and had a career-high 95 yards, after seven catches for 72 yards in the first three games.
And uggh, those offensive penalties: Seven in the first half, four holding. More on that below.
Defense: B
This was a solid A, until Cincinnati gained 184 of its 428 total yards in the fourth quarter and Travon Walker lost his composure with a taunting penalty when it looked like the Jaguars were going to get the Bengals off the field on a drive that ended with Joe Burrow's 1-yard TD. Not what you want from a five-year veteran who's supposed to be a leader, and it's not Walker's first penalty of that kind, either.
The defense gave up a quick drive to get the Bengals within a score (Joe Burrow completed seven passes in a row), and then had to weather the final drive before Rayuan Lane II ended the game by stopping Chase Brown a yard short of a first down.
Now, for the positives: Two turnovers, two sacks, and the Jaguars found a way to win with five healthy defensive backs at the end. While Cincinnati wasn't overly concerned with running the ball, the 23 yards on 15 attempts (1.5 yards per attempt) was the fifth-lowest single-game total allowed by the Jags' defense in franchise history.
Special teams: A
Kicker Cam Little made 3 of 3 field-goal attempts, two from 50 yards-plus, and those nine points were the difference. The Jaguars covered returns well again. Punter Logan Cooke averaged 48.1 yards on three kicks and came within an eyelash of getting his final punt downed inside the Cincinnati 5.
Intangibles: D
Who had the Jaguars winning on the road, against a good team, with 13 penalties for 125 yards, after they had only 15 flags for 121 yards in the first three games? The flurry of yellow hankies tied for the seventh-most flags in team history, and it's the fourth-most yards.
Every offensive lineman except right tackle Cole Van Lanen had at least one penalty and the team was fortunate it didn't cost them in the end. The Jags and the Bengals each had a touchdown nullified by a flag, forcing them to settle for field goals, and when Tuten had a second TD called back, the Jaguars were able to get a touchdown two plays later on Lawrence's pass to Brian Thomas Jr. ― a very good sign for Thomas.
There were also some head-scratching decisions. Lawrence's audible to a run on third-and-eight at the Bengals' 44 early in the fourth quarter that resulted in Rodriguez being thrown for a 2-yard loss was odd, to say the least.
When the Bengals gifted the Jags 5 yards by having too many men on the field when the Jags lined up for what appeared to be a 64-yard field-goal attempt, Liam Coen decided to punt instead of letting Little attempt a 59-yarder, after he had made kicks of 54 and 55 yards with plenty of room to spare.
However, there's something to be said about gutting out a victory, especially on the road in front of a hostile crowd, despite all the mistakes and penalties. The Jags are taking a 3-1 record into their London doubleheader, certainly a satisfactory start to the first month of the season.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars-Bengals grades give Jags an 'A' for victory, not for execution
