Jaguars Star Reflects on Brutal, Humbling Loss to Bengals

It's not as if Jacksonville had no chance in this one. In fact, they led for most of the game. That's the most disappointing part. The Bengals didn't win this game; the Jaguars gave it to them.

In Week 2, Jacksonville generated 400 total yards of offense, saw Cincinnati star quarterback Joe Burrow exit in the first quarter, forced three turnovers from the backup, and still lost to Jake Browning. There were myriad mistakes and blown opportunities along the way, including drops, penalties, and their own giveaways.

Jaguars need to find ways to win

Travis Etienne Jr. was one of the few Jacksonville Jaguars players who didn't have at least one egregious blunder on the day. Against the Cincinnati Bengals, he continued his hot start to the 2025 NFL season with 99 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 14 carries and two catches.

He averaged 5.1 yards per rush and even ripped off a 30-yarder. Still, he can't revel in his own accomplishments when his team lost, especially in such an ugly manner. Jacksonville media asked him after the game about how much of a gut punch this defeat felt like:

"It hurts, this hurts. We come out here, and we played the game to win, but we just didn’t make enough plays. We’ve just got to find a way to be better at the end of the game. Whenever the defense gets a turnover, you’ve got to go out there, score the ball, and put the game away. Our defense, they played a hell of a game, and we’ve just got to go out there and find a way to win.”

Jaguars may need to find their confidence again

One of the sorest spots for the Jaguars was the fact that second-year wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. had another awful showing. He finished his day with just four catches for 49 yards despite getting 12 targets. One of them he bobbled into a defender's arms for an interception, a few others were drops, and one led to a turnover on downs instead of a game-sealing touchdown.

Etienne Jr. was asked if he had anything to say to BTJ after the game:

"Nah, man, that’s BTJ, man. That’s somebody I’m not worried about. I feel like he knows who he is, and he’s here for a reason. I feel like nobody in the locker room has trouble with confidence. We play football our whole life — we don’t get to this point and lose ourselves. We have the utmost confidence in BTJ, and we ride with him until the wheels fall off.”