Cincinnati Bengals fans will get an early view into the club’s championship bona-fides against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The game at Paycor Stadium (1 p.m.) will pit two 2-1 teams against one another, but it is the Bengalsfor whom the higher expectations existed entering 2026. The Jaguars are no pushover, but a team on a real championship trajectory probably needs to push right through this weekend’s visitors in order to bounce back from Cincinnati’s error-filled loss Sept. 27 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A real title contender picks itself up and rebounds positively after a game like that. A team capable of a deep playoff run re-states its intent after a flat performance.
A title-pretender lets what happened against the Steelers snowball.
The Jaguars game won’t define the Bengals’ season, but it will say a lot about the toughness and leadership in the locker room. The contest will be an early look at whether Cincinnatipossesses some of the most important ingredients for a legit contender to have. Here are three keys for the Bengals in their home showdown with a Jaguars team that is effective offensively and has one of the most pesky defenses in the NFL dating back to the middle of last season.
Get the offense rolling early, keep it rolling
Not only did the Bengals defense start slow in the Sept. 27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the unit sustained some bumps and bruises along the way. Consequently, important players have been listed on the injury report all week. Best case scenario, Cincinnati's defense is banged up going into the Jaguars game. Plus, it's coming off its first shaky outing of the year after dominant showing against Tampa Bay and Houston. So, rather than hoping the defense provides the spark Cincinnati needs (which did happen in the first two games), give the Bengals high-flying offense a chance to set the tone early.
What's the mean? For starters, if the Bengals win the coin toss before kickoff, they should opt to receive rather than defer like they did in Pittsburgh. Quarterback Joe Burrow was already looking up at a 7-0 deficit less than two minutes into the eventual loss to the Steelers. This week, give him a chance to put the pressure on Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence in a hostile environment.
Even if the Bengals don't win the coin toss, they can be aggressive on offense by leaning into what's already proven effective (Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, in other words). If the "Jags" try to take away the star receivers, lean into the supporting cast that was so effective against the Steelers in the same scenario. If you can establish the run game along the way, great. But the priority needs to be starting fast, banking points and challenging the No. 17-ranked Jacksonville offense (314 yards per game, per ESPN) to keep up.
Also keep in mind that the Jaguars are playing well defensively, and have been for the better part of a year. Jacksonville's defense allowed more than 20 points just three times in the last 13 games (including a playoff loss last season), and they're 10-3 in that stretch.
Dexter Lawrence has an opportunity to be a game-wrecker again
Part of what the Jacksonville offense does well is maintaining manageable down-and-distance situations, which can be attributed to the team averaging 4.2 yards per rushing attempt.
The Bengals have a perfect response for that in Dexter Lawrence.
Lawrence, who had the Bengals' only two sacks against the Steelers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Week 3, stymied the Houston Texans in the run game on Sept. 20. He can do that again against Jacksonville, and that'll be important as the Jaguars convert 52.9% of their third downs. Backing them up in third-and-long situations should help bring that percentage down, if only for a week at Paycor Stadium.
Clean up the laundry
In victory and defeat, one unfortunate constant for the Bengals so far in 2026 has been penalties. A lot of penalties. In fact, Cincinnati's 25 penalties through three games rank fifth-most in the NFL.
The flags have been part of the reason Cincinnati's yet to truly put together a complete game with effective and disciplined play in all three phases. There's no time like a visit from a pesky Jacksonville team to improve in this area.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals defense must rebound against quality Jaguars offense
