By JOE REEDY<\/p>\n
CINCINNATI (AP) \u2014 The Jaguars didn\u2019t have a nightmare finish in Cincinnati for the second straight year.<\/p>\n
Jacksonville\u2019s defense made two key stops in the red zone \u2014 including stopping Bengals running back Chase Brown 1 yard shy of a first down<\/a> with 50 seconds remaining \u2014 and Trevor Lawrence passed for 227 yards and a touchdown as the Jaguars held off the Bengals 22-17 on Sunday.<\/p>\n Being able to hold on for a tight victory marked a milestone for Liam Coen\u2019s team. Jacksonville lost to the Bengals 31-27 in Week 2 last year on Jake Browning\u2019s 1-yard sneak with 18 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n The Jags had another tough Week 2 this season at Denver, when the Broncos rallied with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at the last time we were in this locker room, we weren\u2019t able to close out a game where we weren\u2019t able to get it done offensively and the defense had to hold strong and we end up (in) a game of inches,\u201d Coen said. \u201cProud of the growth and the group for sticking with it and overcoming a lot of bad stuff, a lot of self-inflicted wounds.\u201d<\/p>\n Lawrence completed 18 of 23 passes to beat the Bengals for the first time in four attempts. The sixth-year quarterback, the top pick in the 2021 NFL draft, has at least one win over every AFC opponent.<\/p>\n It was Lawrence\u2019s first victory over Bengals counterpart Joe Burrow in four matchups, dating to the 2020 College Football Playoff title game between Clemson and LSU.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt good. You look at all the different games we\u2019ve played and they all went about like today went, except we were on the other end of it,\u201d Lawrence said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to have to win games like this throughout the season where you maybe don\u2019t play your best and it\u2019s not pretty, but find a way.\u201d<\/p>\n Brian Thomas Jr. and Chris Rodriguez scored touchdowns for the Jaguars and Cam Little kicked three field goals.<\/p>\n Burrow passed for 428 yards for the Bengals, who lost All-Pro wide receiver Ja\u2019Marr Chase to a concussion<\/a> in the second quarter. Tee Higgins had 11 receptions for 151 yards before he went down with a groin injury in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n Burrow, who completed 39 of 54 passes and had his eighth 400-yard game, also threw two interceptions \u2014 one that Jacksonville converted into a touchdown and the other when the Bengals were in the red zone.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know we had some chances. We\u2019ve got to find a way to not turn the ball over there, specifically the one in the red zone. That\u2019s the one I\u2019m the most upset about. I got pressured and was trying to get rid of it and didn\u2019t see (the defender),\u201d said Burrow, who had a TD pass to Mike Gesicki along with a QB sneak for a score, both in the second half.<\/p>\n Bengals\u2019 last drive comes up short<\/p>\n Rodriguez ran 25 yards off left guard<\/a> to put the Jaguars ahead 22-10 with 6:25 remaining. The 2-point conversion failed.<\/p>\n The Bengals answered three minutes later with a nine-play touchdown drive, capped by Burrow\u2019s 1-yard sneak.<\/p>\n Parker Washington appeared to put it away for the Jaguars on third-and-10 when he caught a screen pass from Lawrence and went 39 yards to the Bengals 16. But replays showed Washington stepped out of bounds at the Bengals 48.<\/p>\n After a punt, the Bengals got the ball at their own 17 with 1:44 remaining. Burrow completed three straight passes and moved Cincinnati to the Jaguars 21, but then misfired on three straight passes.<\/p>\n On fourth-and-10, Burrow found Brown in the flat. Brown beat linebacker Foyesade Oluokun but safety Rayuan Lane III stopped him 1 yard short at the 12.<\/p>\n Cincinnati has dropped two straight after winning its first two for the second straight year, which did not make coach Zac Taylor happy. The eighth-year coach could be heard from the adjoining interview room ripping into his team in the locker room.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe in these guys. Really disappointed that we lost. We\u2019re not that kind of a team this year that\u2019s going to take consolation in losses. I think we lost tough games to some really good teams,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n Jaguars seize momentum late in first half<\/p>\n Jacksonville had a 6-3 advantage before Jourdan Lewis picked off Burrow\u2019s pass intended for Dohnte Meyers and returned it 45 yards up the left sideline to the Bengals 18.<\/p>\n It was the ninth straight game in which the Jaguars have recorded an interception, a franchise record and the NFL\u2019s longest active streak.<\/p>\n