Welcome to Big Cat Country’s staff roundtable!
Today, we’re previewing Week 4’s matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals
Question 1: What was your biggest takeaway from the Jaguars’ win last week over the Patriots?
Dillon Appleman: My biggest takeaway was that we’re rapidly approaching the point where Bhayshul Tuten gets bell-cow opportunities in this offense. Week after week, he’s shown he can handle a heavier workload, stacking good performances to the point where the committee
approach is almost doing the offense a disservice. He’s raised the floor of this rushing attack from a season ago, and it’s made the offense even more efficient as a result.
Travis Holmes: Two words: Anton Harrison. Sunday’s performance was as dominant a performance as you’ll see in the NFL from the fourth-year right tackle turned left tackle. His vital road-grading block on All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez was likely his most notable play. Pair that with his pass protection—he surrendered just 1 pressure—and it further confirmed what we’ve seen building for months. The Jaguars have officially found their left tackle of the foreseeable future. Cutting the check just seems a formality at this point.
Gus Logue: That Trevor Lawrence is playing at as high a level as ever. Truthfully, you could’ve said that after most of his games since Jacksonville’s 2025 Week 8 bye — but it was glaring as ever last week with Drake Maye on the opposite sideline. Just like Lawrence at the beginning of his career, Maye is having a hard time trusting his offense. His playcaller is predictable and his weapons have no juice. Fortunately for us, Lawrence is making the most of the best supporting cast of his career thus far. With Liam Coen and Parker Washington and Anton Harrison and plenty of others stepping up around him, Lawrence is hoopin’.
Henry Zimmer: My biggest takeaway was how fluid the offense can really be. The passing game has been the key fixation thus far, but when the running game gets going like it did last weekend, everything opens up. Parker Washington has been incredible and Trevor Lawrence has been great. Add in what Bhayshul Tuten can do, and you have a winning product like we have seen mostly thus far.
Question 2: On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you in the Jaguars to limit Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins?
Dillon: I’d say a 2. That’s not to say the secondary can’t play well against them, but Chase and Higgins are close to scheme-proof—no matter the defensive game plan, they’ll adapt to whatever’s open throughout a game based on what the defense shows them. I expect Campanille’s back end to prioritize preventing big plays, leaving the quick game and underneath stuff open for Burrow to pepper his star targets. The real way to limit them is to have long, sustained offensive possessions and leave them on the sidelines.
Travis: Following the Jaguars’ offseason joint practices against Chris Olave and Tet McMillan, it’s hard for me to rate my confidence level above 2 without seeing it on the grass. Jacksonville has yet to face a top receiving option paired with a dominant quarterback this season, and what little evidence we do have from joint practices shows a team that has struggled to limit the best of the best. Enter the Cincinnati Bengals, a team with two wideouts capable of entering the top-tier receiver conversation. Jacksonville’s defense will face its toughest task of the season, as the 13th-ranked passing attack goes up against Jacksonville’s 22nd-ranked passing defense.
Gus: Probably a 3. Travis Hunter and Jarrian Jones have looked about as good as we could have hoped so far this season, but Montaric Brown and Jourdan Lewis aren’t adjusting as smoothly to coverage plans that feature more man compared to a season ago. Chase and Higgins are a threat to every NFL defense regardless. I think Hunter and Jones will make a couple of nice plays, but ultimately, Burrow’s boys will make him look great for the upteenth time.
Henry: I am probably about a 4 out of 10 confident the Jags can stop Higgins and Chase. I don’t really think anyone can, and the Jags don’t have a real high-level lockdown corner. Yet. You can rattle Joe Burrow and cause issues there, but in terms of stopping the two guys outside, not so much.
Question 3: Who will be an X-factor for the Jaguars on Sunday?
Dillon: The Jaguars need 2025 Antonio Johnson to show up on Sunday — if he does, he could be the biggest X-factor of the game. Last season, Johnson was stellar against the quick game, and his ability to close distance downhill was especially valuable. With the secondary so focused on Chase and Higgins, the Jags can’t afford to let the likes of Chase Brown or Mike Gesicki eat up catch-and-run opportunities underneath. His performance is key.
Travis: Is it cheating to name Anthony Campanile here? The Jaguars have an opportunity to face off against a clear top-five quarterback for the first time since the Bills playoff game. However, how they choose to approach Joe Burrow falls squarely in Camp’s lap. My argument is that Jacksonville should significantly increase its blitz rate this week. When teams have brought five or more against the Bengals quarterback in 2026, he has looked extremely human. Against the blitz, his passer rating drops from 123 to 73, a 50-point reduction; his completion rate falls from 77% to 59%; he has a negative 0.51 EPA per dropback with one touchdown and one interception; and his sack rate jumps from 5% to 8.1%. In past years, blitzing Joe meant planning for a rough day at the office. In 2026, that storyline has seemingly shifted.
Gus: Brenton Strange. He was in the middle of what looked like a great game last week before a pass bounced off his gloves and into a defender’s lap for an interception. Expect the Jaguars to go back to the well, though, especially against this defense. Cincinnati has the worst linebacker duo in the league, and their starting safeties may miss Sunday’s game due to injuries. The way to attack the Bengals is over the middle. Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers will get theirs, but look for Strange to have his best game of the season to date.
Henry: If you can stop Higgins AND Chase, you can certainly win against the Bengals, so my X-Factor is Travis Hunter. Do the Bengals think they can pick on him, or do the Bengals mostly test someone like Jarrian Jones? If Hunter is someone they fear, or learn to fear during the game, that flips that offense on its head.
Final score prediction?
Dillon: Jaguars 26, Bengals 27
Travis: Jaguars 27, Bengals 20
Gus: Jaguars 40, Bengals 33
Henry: Jaguars 21, Bengals 24
What are your Week 4 predictions, Jaguars fans? Let us know in the comments!
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