For a second straight week, the Cincinnati Bengals‘ offense had a chance to win the game on their final drive of regulation. And for the second straight week, they fell short, falling 22-17 on Sunday to the visiting Jaguars. 

On the final drive of the game, the Bengals quickly moved 62 yards to the Jaguars’ 21-yard line. But after three straight incompletions, the Bengals’ comeback bid ended when Chase Brown was tackled one yard short of the sticks on fourth-and-10 with 56 seconds remaining. 

Cincinnati (2-2) played the majority of the game without Pro Bowl wideout Ja’Marr Chase, who sustained a concussion after Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller hit him with the crown of his helmet early in the second quarter. Chase also had his facemask yanked on the play by Jarrian Jones prior to Miller’s hit. 

The Bengals were also without Tee Higgins on the game’s final drive. Higgins left the game after catching 11 passes for 157 yards. 

Jacksonville (3-1) led by 10 points at halftime and took a 22-10 lead with 6:35 left before hanging on for the win. Trevor Lawrence engineered the Jaguars’ victory, throwing for 227 yards and a score on 18-of-23 passing. Jacksonville’s defense made an impact as well. It picked off Burrow twice and held Cincinnati to just 23 yards on 15 carries. 

The Jaguars won despite committing 13 penalties for 135 yards. 

Turning point 

Jacksonville held a precarious 6-3 lead late in the first half. The Bengals had passed Jaguars territory and were in position to tie the score before halftime when Burrow was picked by Jourdan Lewis. Jacksonville scored five plays later to take a 13-3 halftime lead. 

Bengals’ horrid trend continues 

Cincinnati’s late-game issues with Burrow are incomprehensible. They are now 1-35 with Burrow in games where they are trailing at any point in the final eight minutes. They are 0-2 in those situations this season. 

Execution has been the biggest issue. Last week, the Bengals started their final drive by burning a timeout to avoid a delay-of-game penalty. Sunday’s final drive included an inaccurate pass from Burrow to Mike Gesicki that, if caught, would have given the Bengals the lead with 1:05 left. 

Cincinnati’s final offensive play was a head-scratcher as well. Looking at where Burrow threw the ball, Brown would have needed to break several tackles in order to get the first down. 

It goes without saying that the injuries to Chase and Higgins contributed to the loss. However, the Bengals did get encouraging performances from fellow wideouts Dohnte Meyers and Mitchell Tinsley, who caught a combined 10 passes for 131 yards. 

Running the ball remains an issue for the Bengals. Cincinnati didn’t rush for a single yard in the first quarter. Brown finished with 10 yards on 9 carries. 

Jags clean things up 

The Jaguars would have had a bigger halftime lead if they weren’t flagged 10 times for 100 yards in the first half. One of those penalties wiped out a 44-yard touchdown run by Bhayshul Tuten. 

The Jaguars were much cleaner in the second half, though. They were flagged three times for 25 yards in the game’s final 30 minutes. Conversely, the Bengals were flagged five times in the second half after being penalized six times in the first half. 

Lawrence gets help 

Lawrence outplayed Burrow, but he had some help from his backfield mates. The Jaguars rushed for 111 yards on 27 carries that included Chris Rodriguez Jr.’s 25-yard touchdown run that held up as the game-winning score. Tuten had 73 yards on 20 carries, including a 20-yard run. 

Lawrence threw often to tight end Brenton Strange, who caught seven of 8 targets for 95 yards. Brian Thomas Jr. was largely quiet, but he did catch a touchdown pass that made it a two-possession game at intermission. 

With the win, the Jaguars remain ahead of the pack in the AFC South standings. The Bengals, meanwhile, are now in last place in the AFC North.