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Injuries and missed chances leave Cincinnati short against Jacksonville

A depleted receiving corps and a critical failure in the closing minute handed the Cincinnati Bengals a 17-22 defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium on Sunday, October 4, 2026. While Cincinnati mounted a late push from their own 17-yard line, Jacksonville held firm in Week 4 to close out a contest that slipped away from the home side through costly physical attrition.

Cincinnati loses its top perimeter threats

The game shifted decisively against Cincinnati in the second quarter when Ja’Marr Chase took a pass from Joe Burrow and tried to evade Jacksonville cornerback Jarrian Jones. Jones dragged Chase down by the facemask, violently twisting him to the turf.

The sequence ended with Chase diagnosed with a concussion, ruling him out for the rest of the game. Compounding the setback, fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins exited with an injury late in the contest, stripping Burrow of his primary targets when the Bengals needed them most.

Jacksonville weathers self-inflicted discipline errors

Jacksonville built a 13-3 advantage by halftime and maintained control despite accumulating 13 penalties across the game. Cincinnati struggled to fully punish those mistakes, and even with the continuous stream of flags stalling their own momentum, Jacksonville managed to stay ahead on the scoreboard until the final minutes.

The defensive stand inside the red zone

Trailing late, Cincinnati took possession at their own 17-yard line and advanced deep into scoring territory. Facing fourth-and-10 at the Jacksonville 12-yard line with under a minute left, the Jaguars defense delivered the decisive play.

Safety Rayuan Lane III brought down running back Chase Brown, thwarting the fourth-down conversion attempt and sealing the 22-17 victory.

The result leaves Cincinnati managing severe health concerns across their pass-catching rotation following departures by both Chase and Higgins, while Jacksonville emerges with a road victory built on red-zone resilience despite persistent penalty issues.

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