Jacksonville Jaguars 22 · Cincinnati Bengals 17
Team assessments and season evidence from our Week 4 recap.
Paycor Stadium · 2026-10-04
The final score was Jacksonville Jaguars 22 · Cincinnati Bengals 17. The breakdown below uses this game’s figures, separate from season averages.
The scoring path
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 22 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Measure | Jacksonville Jaguars | Cincinnati Bengals |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 19 | 26 |
| Total yards | 323 | 437 |
| Yards per play | 6.0 | 6.2 |
| Passing yards | 212 | 414 |
| Rushing yards | 111 | 23 |
| Third-down conversions | 5-11 | 5-12 |
| Red-zone touchdowns / trips | 1-2 | 2-4 |
| Giveaways | 0 | 2 |
| Possession time | 29:06 | 30:54 |
Third-down conversion is shown as its own measure. It is not a substitute for overall play success rate. A dash means the source did not supply that field.
The Lab’s result test
Jacksonville Jaguars won by 5 points. Q2 supplied the largest scoring swing in the winner’s favor, a +7-points period. The chart shows the result’s path; the box score helps explain what created it.
Jacksonville Jaguars produced 323 total yards; Cincinnati Bengals produced 437. Yardage describes how much ground was gained, not whether the most valuable drives were finished.
Jacksonville Jaguars committed 0 giveaways against the opponent’s 2. That possession advantage gave the winner fewer mistakes to overcome.
The next test is repeatability. Separate staying on schedule from long gains, then examine field position and drive finishing. A large yardage total can coexist with missed scoring chances; a short field can make a modest drive valuable.
Our game coverage
A matching published game video is not available in the verified archive yet.
Game played 2026-10-04. These assessments cover the season through October 5, 2026, including this game.
Read the complete Week 4 article →
Jaguars | 3-1
Read the table as text
| Season evidence | Jaguars | Opponents |
|---|---|---|
| Plays keeping pace | 49.8% | 42.8% |
| Long gains | 23 | 21 |
| Points / threatening drives | 104 / 20 | 53 / 21 |
| Defensive takeaways | 8 | 2 |
| Special-teams recoveries | 0 | 0 |
Jacksonville has blended three dependable advantages: very few giveaways, repeated defensive takeaways and strong resistance when opponents threaten to score. Its opponents have collected only 53 offensive points from 21 threatening drives, while Jacksonville has returned 104 from 20. All eight takeaways were defensive plays, and the offense has given the ball away only twice. That combination explains a 3-1 start more convincingly than treating the latest 22-17 win as a stand-alone escape.
The offense still changes considerably from week to week. Its useful gains ranged from 43.6 to 60.4 percent of plays, and Sunday's 44.2 percent was closer to the lower end. Trevor Lawrence said “You’re going to have to win games like this”. True, but the defense cannot be the answer to every stalled possession. Jacksonville added six long gains Sunday after only three in the previous win. Its strongest season habit is protecting and recovering possession; maintaining ordinary progress would make the narrow finishes less necessary.
After opponent punts or failed fourth downs, Jaguars possessions have begun at their own 23.6, on average, across 12 competitive drives. The weekly average has varied widely, from their own 19.0 to their own 31.3. The latest game averaged their own 21.5. The resulting possession started at midfield or closer to the end zone in 0 of those 12 cases. These are actual starting spots, including punt returns, rather than a measure of the defense alone. The return unit has added 15 punt-return yards over the season. Starts following turnovers are counted separately: 8 competitive possessions at their own 45.9 on average.
Bengals | 2-2
Read the table as text
| Season evidence | Bengals | Opponents |
|---|---|---|
| Plays keeping pace | 45.3% | 43.8% |
| Long gains | 22 | 26 |
| Points / threatening drives | 90 / 23 | 78 / 22 |
| Defensive takeaways | 5 | 4 |
| Special-teams recoveries | 0 | 1 |
Cincinnati's offense has swung between productive stretches and stretches that depend on a rescue. Its weekly share of useful gains has run 50.0, 34.5, 51.8 and 45.1 percent, while the long gains slipped to three Sunday. Its 90 points from 23 threatening drives are respectable but not enough to erase the uneven execution. The defense has allowed 26 long gains against the offense's 22. The team has not built a dependable advantage from stopping big plays or finishing more effectively than opponents.
Joe Burrow singled out “the one in the red zone”. His concern about the interception in the 22-17 loss fits a recent pattern: two giveaways in each of the last two games. Four of the team's five defensive takeaways came in the opener. One of its five team-level giveaways was a special-teams mistake, so not every lost possession belongs to the offense. Cincinnati's 2-2 record reflects both a high enough ceiling to challenge good teams and too many possessions that require everything else to go right.
After opponent punts or failed fourth downs, Bengals possessions have begun at their own 29.5, on average, across 11 competitive drives. The weekly average has varied widely, from their own 15.7 to their own 34.6. The latest game averaged their own 15.7. The resulting possession started at midfield or closer to the end zone in 2 of those 11 cases. These are actual starting spots, including punt returns, rather than a measure of the defense alone. The return unit has added 28 punt-return yards over the season. Starts following turnovers are counted separately: 4 competitive possessions at their own 47.5 on average.
Week 4 daytime roundup
This is the multi-game edition, rather than a dedicated recap.
