Sep 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks to pass during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The Good, Not So Good From Jaguars' Loss to Bengals

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 7:38 PM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars had a heck of a chance to make a statement in Week 2. Instead, they looked a lot like the same old Jaguars.

So, what were the highest and lowest moments of the 31-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals? We break it down below.

The Good

Bhayshul Tuten

Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Bhayshul Tuten looked like an absolute star in the making for the Jaguars. He simply gets positive yardage each time he touches the ball, whether by making defenders miss in space in the passing game or by breaking tackles as a rusher.

Travis Etienne has played too well to take off the field for a large volume of snaps, but Tuten proved the Jaguars made the right decision to trade Tank Bigsby with the impressive performance he had: 74 yards and one touchdown on 10 touches.

Pass-Rush

Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

I know some fans will likely have been expecting more during the final stretch, but the Bengals were clearly getting the ball out of Browning's hand as quickly as they could. Before that point, I thought the Jaguars' front and pressure packages dominated for the second week in a row, especially when Burrow was in.

Yes, it was a bad offensive line, but that is the performance you should expect from a defensive line like the Jaguars against such a unit. The linebackers and defensive backs contributed as blitzers quite a bit, too.

The Not So Good

Brian Thomas Jr.

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Over half of Trevor Lawrence's incompletions were to Brian Thomas Jr. on Sunday, with the struggling second-year receiver catching four passes for 49 yards on 12 targets. That is just barely over four yards a target, and Thomas is officially in a slump after catching one pass on seven targets a week ago.

Last week, it felt more like a Trevor Lawrence issue. This week, Thomas played small and it resulted in a dropped potential touchdown, a drop on fourth-down, and a brutal interception. This might have been the worst game of his career.

Ja'Marr Chase Plan

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Ja'Marr Chase is one of the best receivers in football today and is well on his way to becoming a Hall of Famer. With that said, I do not subscribe to the idea that he will simply get his no matter what. A week ago with a healthy Burrow for four quarters, he only caught two passes for 26 yards. But despite Burrow being out for 2.5 quarters on Sunday, Chase had 14 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown.

I do not know what the solution is, but the Jaguars should have. Whatever plan they had for Chase, it did not work. At all.

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This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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