The Jacksonville Jaguars snagged a messy 22-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4, finally breaking quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s perfect losing streak in Cincinnati. Seriously, that was the only AFC team he hadn’t beaten. Now, Jacksonville is sitting pretty at 3-1, heading into their first London game. This game was definitely not pretty, riddled with penalties, but they never once fell behind, and somehow, they shut down any Bengals comeback attempt.
Lawrence Is Officially Elite (Despite the Chaos)
Look, Trevor Lawrence had a rough day in the office. He got sacked four times, hit way more, and was under pressure non-stop. Didn’t even have any explosive plays that stuck. But here’s the kicker: he still put up a strong, efficient performance, quarterbacking that offense straight to the win. He finished 18/23 for 227 yards, one touchdown, zero picks, and a 122 QBR. The dude controlled the game, didn’t let that constant pressure get to him. It’s time everyone in the NFL woke up and recognized: he’s legitimately an elite quarterback.
The flip side? That offensive line was a roller coaster. Uneven protection all game, which is wild considering the Jags went from being the league’s least-penalized team to racking up 13 penalties in *one game*. Almost all those flags? On the offensive line. This unit has been a concern since preseason, and this game just hammered home that those worries are legit and not going anywhere.
Travis Hunter Silences the Naysayers While Defense Bends But Doesn’t Break
Remember all those whispers about Travis Hunter being a bust? How they traded up to No. 2 in the 2025 draft for nothing? Yeah, well, today’s game just smashed those doubts. After a slow start to the 2026 season, potentially easing him back from a season-ending injury last year, Hunter played *solely* on defense in this one. Maybe it was the cornerback injuries, but whatever the reason, he looked like the shutdown corner everyone expected. He almost had his second career interception, only to have it wiped by a penalty. But even without that, he was consistently great in coverage, breaking up passes, and until Ja’marr Chase got knocked out with a concussion, Hunter looked more than capable of locking down one of the best receivers in the league.
And speaking of defense, how about that depth? They were already missing Montaric “Buster” Brown, Christian Braswell, Jalen Huskey, and Jack Kiser. Then Eric Murray and Caleb Ransaw got hurt mid-game. Absolute mayhem. But the unit just kept performing at a high level. Jarrian Jones had a massive game, stepping up big time. That’s serious resilience right there.
Next up, Jacksonville heads to London to face the Philadelphia Eagles. Coming off a 3-1 start and a win that showed both major flaws and serious grit, it’ll be a massive test to see if they can clean up the penalties and keep that momentum rolling across the pond. You gotta wonder if Lawrence can keep pulling off wins when the O-line is struggling like that, but man, Travis Hunter just showed us exactly why he was worth that draft capital.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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