Jaguars' late touchdown holds off Bengals 22-17

Jacksonville takes the finish

The Jacksonville Jaguars used a 25-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 22-17 on Sunday, October 4, at Paycor Stadium.

Trevor Lawrence completed 18 of 23 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, repeatedly finding Brenton Strange, who caught seven passes for 95 yards. The turning point arrived late in the second quarter, when Lewis intercepted Joe Burrow and returned the ball 45 yards to the Cincinnati 18, setting up a 7-yard touchdown pass and a 13-3 Jacksonville lead.

Cincinnati cut a 13-3 halftime deficit to 13-10 on Burrow’s 15-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and later pulled within 22-17. But the Bengals’ two turnovers kept a productive passing day from becoming the winning one, leaving Jacksonville at 3-1 and Cincinnati at 2-2.

The plays that separated them

Jacksonville built its lead patiently. A 55-yard field goal opened the scoring, and another field goal gave the Jaguars a 6-3 edge before Lewis’ interception created the short field for Lawrence’s touchdown pass. Bhayshul Tuten gave the offense balance with 73 yards on 17 carries, while Strange moved the chains through the air.

The Bengals answered after halftime, but Jacksonville countered with a 54-yard field goal for a 16-10 lead. Foyesade Oluokun then intercepted Burrow at the Jacksonville 10 early in the fourth quarter, a play that moved the Jaguars’ win probability from 57% to 77%. After the teams traded punts, Jacksonville covered 76 yards in seven plays over 3:54, finishing with the 25-yard touchdown run for a 22-10 lead.

EPA measures expected points added by a play, and Jacksonville’s 0.33 EPA per play explained why its 54 plays produced enough decisive chances despite Cincinnati’s 451 passing-and-rushing yards. The Jaguars’ 54% success rate—the share of plays with positive EPA—kept Lawrence’s offense on schedule, while Cincinnati’s 0.06 EPA per play did not match its yardage. Jacksonville hosts the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, October 11, at 3-1; Cincinnati visits the Miami Dolphins that day at 2-2.