Jaguars Give Game Away to Bengals in Brutal Showing

Joe Burrow was knocked out of the game early, and backup quarterback Jake Browning threw three interceptions.

Despite all of this, the Jaguars still lost 31-27 in one of the most mistake-filled and self-inflicted losses in recent history.

First Quarter

For the second week in a row, the Jaguars won the toss and head coach Liam Coen opted to receive the ball.

For the second week in a row, the Jaguars repaid Coen's confidence with points. The only difference: this time they found the end zone.

After a field goal to kick off last week, the Jaguars marched down the field with a nine-play, 69-yard drive that saw the Jaguars pick up four first downs and go 2-for-2 on third down. The stellar drive, which Trevor Lawrence was 5-of-7 for 62 yards on, ended with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Dyami Brown.

The Jaguars also got Brian Thomas Jr. involved early after he caught just one pass for 11 yards last week, with Thomas catching two passes for 25 yards on the first drive.

Jacksonville's defense kept the pressure on the Bengals on the following drive, with Travon Walker recording a near-fumble on second down before Foyesade Oluokun recorded a third-down sack to get off the field.

The Jaguars' offense kept rolling on the ensuing drive, with rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten getting 24 yards on a screen and Parker Washington then climbing the ladder for an acrobatic 20-yard gain.

Facing third-down from the Bengals' eight-yard line, the Jaguars seemed destined to put another score on the board. But the old ways of Lawrence struck, with the fifth-year quarterback throwing a woeful interception to Dax Hill after Trey Hendrickson beat Walker Little to force a rushed pass.

The Bengals took quick advantage of Lawrence's mistake, marching downfield on an 11-play, 80-yard drive that saw the Jaguars offer little resistance before Ja'Marr Chase scored on a four-yard touchdown.

Second Quarter

Jacksonville punched back on the next drive, marching 75 yards in eight plays thanks to a 30-yard scamper by Travis Etienne. The running back room cotinued to impress with Tuten scoring his first NFL touchdown on an eight-yard touchdown catch.

The entire complexion of the game changed on the following drive, with Bengals franchise quarterback Joe Burrow leaving the game due to an injury sustained on a sack by Arik Armstead. The Jaguars failed to take advantage, though, with Lawrence throwing his second interception of the day after Thomas failed to continue running through his route.

After a Travon Walker sack got the defense off the field, the Jaguars once again marched their way downfield after a 40-yard catch-and-run by Washington to set up a 42-yard field goal by Cam Little to take a 17-10 lead. An Eric Murray interception of Jake Browning then took the game to halftime.

The Jaguars outgained the Bengals 267-131 in the first half, but Lawrence's two turnovers and the consistent penalties made the game much closer than it ever should have been.

Third Quarter

The Bengals came out firing on the first drive of the second half, with Chase recording a 25-yard catch to get the Bengals to the Jaguars' 40-yard line. Chase would continue to better the Jaguars, catching two more passes for 24 yards to contunue to push the ball downfield.

The Bengals capped off the opening drive with a 13-yard touchdown to Mitchell Tinsley, tying the game at 17-17 and putting the onus back on the Jaguars to answer.

The Jaguars got their second turnover of the day on the next drive, with a Josh Hines-Allen pressure forcing Browning into a poor decision into coverage and resuling in an Andrew Wingard interception -- the Jaguars; fourth interception of the season to that point.

The Jaguars used the running game to set up the next score, with Etienne, Tuten and LeQuint Allen having solid runs before Lawrence found Etienne on an 11-yard touchdown to give the Jaguars a 24-17 lead.

Despite finally getting some momentum back, the Jaguars put it right back into the Bengals' hands after Campbell was beat badly by Tee Higgins on a 42-yard touchdown to tie the game back at 24-24.

Fourth Quarter

Thanks to big gains from Etienne and Thomas, as well as a facemask on the Bengals, the Jaguars got the ball all the way to the Bengals' seven-yard line. The next three passes all hit Jaguars; hands, but Thomas failed to stay in bounds, Brown dropped a touchdown, and Lawrence and Thomas could not connect on third-down.

The Jaguars still took a 27-24 lead after a Cam Little field goal, and the defense forced a three-and-out for the first time since the first drive of the game.

Lawrence found Brown and Thomas for conversions on back-to-back third-downs, but Lawrence missed Thomas on 3rd-and-2 near midfield and forced a Jaguars punt in a critical spot.

But just like that, the Jaguars' defense bailed out the offense as Devin Lloyd recorded the third interception of the day and put the Jaguars in easy scoring position. But after some rough reps in the passing game, including a brutal drop from Thomas on fourth-down, the Jaguars gave the ball right back with nothing to show for it.

Jacksonville forced the Bengals to two fourth downs on the following drive; the first was an easy conversion, while the second occurred after Travis Hunter was called for pass interference, putting the Bengals past midfield. The Bengals then passed their way downfield until a Browning QB sneak from the one-yard line gave them a 31-27 lead with one second left.

The Jaguars host the Houston Texans in Week 3.

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