The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t exactly get the result they wanted in Pittsburgh.
After opening the season 2-0, Cincinnati let a winnable game slip away from them in Week 3, falling to the Steelers 30-27. Now, they get a chance to put that one behind them with the Jacksonville Jaguars coming to Paycor Stadium on Sunday.
And while Jacksonville is coming off a convincing 35-6 win over New England, there are plenty of reasons to believe the Bengals can get back into the winning column.
Here are three bold reasons why.
1. The Bengals’ response was very different from the performance in Pittsburgh
Let’s start with the obvious: this group should be angry.
Cincinnati had a chance to get past Pittsburgh 3-0 and instead ended up in a divisional loss where the Bengals made enough mistakes of their own to end the game.
That’s the kind of loss that can linger or serve as a wake-up call.
I’ll bet on the latter.
The Bengals will return home, where they will have a chance to right those wrongs in front of their own fans. It took Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow a long time to understand that one loss doesn’t define a season, but letting the same mistakes snowball would be a different story.
The Jaguars are not the Steelers. And Cincinnati should come out playing with the urgency of a team that doesn’t want to start a losing streak.
Bold prediction: Cincinnati scores first and doesn’t trail.
2. Jacksonville will struggle with Cincinnati’s passing game
The Jaguars defense has been opportunistic early this season, but this is where the presence of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins becomes a big advantage.
In the first three games, Burrow has thrown for 461 yards and three touchdowns, while Higgins has 154 receiving yards and Chase has established himself as the centerpiece of the offense. And don’t forget what happened the last time the teams played in Cincinnati.
The Bengals beat Jacksonville 31-27 in 2025, with Cincinnati’s passing game falling behind.
This matchup has the potential to be another one of those games where Jacksonville has too many weapons to consider.
The Jaguars can’t sell to stop Chase because Higgins could hurt them. They can’t devote all their attention to receivers because Burrow is perfectly capable of picking off favorable looks underneath.
And if the Bengals’ offensive line can give Burrow time? That’s where things can get really interesting.
Bold prediction: Chase goes over 100 receiving yards and finds the end zone.
3. Dexter Lawrence and the defensive front will take over
This is what I am most interested in.
Cincinnati’s biggest offseason overhaul has come up front, and the early returns are encouraging. The Bengals entered Week 4 leading the NFL with eight sacks, according to NFL game-center statistics.
Now they face a Jacksonville offense that has been productive but not exactly unstoppable through the air.
The Jaguars are averaging 314 yards per game, while Cincinnati’s defense has generated eight sacks and three takeaways in three games.
And here Dexter Lawrence can make his presence felt.
The Bengals brought in Lawrence to change the complexion of their defensive front. After recording two sacks against Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh, he now gets another chance to ruin an opposing quarterback’s afternoon.
If Cincinnati can generate pressure without constantly blitzing, it allows the secondary to play more aggressively and puts Jacksonville in some uncomfortable down-and-distance situations.
Bold prediction: Lawrence records another sack, as the Bengals finish with at least four as a team.
Look, it’s not a walk in the park. Jacksonville is coming off a 35-6 demolition of New England, and the Jaguars are 2-1 heading into Cincinnati.
But it felt like a classic “prove it” game for the Bengals.
And there is something about history. This is often repeated.
If the Steelers win games against Cincinnati in the ways/scenarios we saw on Sunday, Lawrence and the Jags will have an uphill battle. Since being drafted as No. 1 overall by Jacksonville in 2021, Lawrence has yet to beat the Bengals.
This includes a crazy Thursday Night affair in his rookie year, as well as some other crazy games by Jake Browning. On Monday Night Football in 2023, as well as in relief last year in Week 2, Browning led the Bengals to improbable wins in Burrow’s absence.
The Bengals have already shown they can win close games. They showed they can dominate on the road against Houston. Now they have to show they can handle the heavy loss and respond.
The Bengals are back at Paycor Stadium. The burrow is healthy. Chase and Higgins give them matchup problems all over the field. And the revamped defensive front has already shown it can make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.
A bounce-back win, a 3-1 record, and a better feeling heading into the next stretch of the schedule.