The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t exactly get the result they wanted in Pittsburgh.
After opening the season 2-0, Cincinnati let a winnable game slip away from them in Week 3, falling 30-27 to the Steelers. Now, they get a chance to put that one behind them with the Jacksonville Jaguars coming to Paycor Stadium on Sunday.
And while Jacksonville is coming off a convincing 35-6 win over New England, there are plenty of reasons to believe the Bengals can get back in the win column.
Here are three bold reasons
why.
1. Bengals’ response will be very different from performance in Pittsburgh
Let’s start with the obvious one: this team should be angry.
Cincinnati had a chance to walk out of Pittsburgh at 3-0 and instead came away with a divisional loss in which the Bengals made enough self-inflicted mistakes to cost themselves the game.
That’s the kind of loss that can either linger or serve as a wake-up call.
I’m betting on the latter.
The Bengals return home, where they’ll have a chance to correct those mistakes in front of their own fans. Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow have been around long enough to understand that one loss doesn’t define a season, but allowing the same mistakes to snowball would be a different story.
The Jaguars aren’t the Steelers. And Cincinnati should come out playing with the urgency of a team that doesn’t want to start a losing streak.
Bold prediction: Cincinnati scores first and never trails.
2. Jacksonville will struggle with Cincinnati’s passing game
The Jaguars’ defense has been opportunistic early this season, but this is where having Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins becomes a pretty significant advantage.
Through the first three games, Burrow has thrown for 461 yards and three touchdowns, while Higgins has 154 receiving yards and Chase has already established himself as the centerpiece of the offense. And don’t forget what happened the last time these teams played in Cincinnati.
The Bengals beat Jacksonville 31-27 in 2025, with Cincinnati’s passing game making several big plays late.
This matchup has the potential to become another one of those games where Jacksonville simply has too many weapons to account for.
The Jaguars can’t sell out to stop Chase because Higgins can hurt them. They can’t devote all of their attention to the receivers because Burrow is perfectly capable of picking apart favorable looks underneath.
And if the Bengals’ offensive line can give Burrow time? That’s where things could get really interesting.
Bold prediction: Chase goes over 100 receiving yards and finds the end zone.
3. Dexter Lawrence and defensive front will take over
Here’s the one I’m most interested in.
Cincinnati’s biggest offseason overhaul came up front, and the early returns have been encouraging. The Bengals entered Week 4 leading the NFL with eight sacks, according to the NFL’s game-center statistics.
Now they get to face a Jacksonville offense that has been productive but hasn’t exactly been unstoppable through the air.
The Jaguars are averaging 314 yards per game, while Cincinnati’s defense has already generated eight sacks and three takeaways through three games.
And this is where Dexter Lawrence can make his presence felt.
The Bengals brought Lawrence in to change the complexion of their defensive front. After recording two sacks against Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh, he now gets another opportunity to wreck an opposing quarterback’s afternoon.
If Cincinnati can generate pressure without constantly blitzing, it allows the secondary to play more aggressively and puts Jacksonville in some uncomfortable down-and-distance situations.
Bold prediction: Lawrence records another sack, while the Bengals finish with at least four as a team.
The Prediction
Look, this isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Jacksonville is coming off a 35-6 demolition of New England, and the Jaguars are 2-1 heading into Cincinnati.
But this feels like a classic “prove it” game for the Bengals.
And there is something about history. It tends to repeat itself.
If the Steelers win games against Cincinnati in the ways/scenarios we saw on Sunday, Lawrence and the Jags have an uphill battle. Since being drafted No. 1 overall by Jacksonville in 2021, Lawrence has not beaten the Bengals.
This includes a crazy Thursday Night affair in his rookie year, as well as a couple of other crazy Jake Browning games. On Monday Night Football in 2023, as well as in relief last year in Week 2, Browning led the Bengals to improbable wins in Burrow’s absence.
The Bengals have already shown they can win a close one. They showed they can dominate on the road against Houston. Now they need to show they can take a tough loss and respond.
The Bengals are back at Paycor Stadium. Burrow is healthy. Chase and Higgins give them matchup problems all over the field. And the revamped defensive front has already demonstrated that it can make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.
So, let’s go bold:
Bengals 31, Jaguars 23.
A bounce-back win, a 3-1 record, and a much better feeling heading into the next stretch of the schedule.
