In front of 63,198 fans who were in attendance at Paul Brown Stadium, the Bengals rallied from a 14-0 deficit at the half to win 24-21 and improve to 3-1 on the season.
The game went down to the wire. After trading touchdowns in the fourth quarter with the game tied 21-21, Joe Burrow got the ball with 5:33 to play and never let the game out of his hands. Burrow hit tight end C.J. Uzomah 25 yards on second down from the 46-yard line to set up the game-winning 35-yard Evan McPherson field goal.
Thursday Night Football:Joe Burrow has a magical second half as the Bengals beat the Jaguars
Reactions:Cincinnati Bengals rally past Jacksonville Jaguars to move to 3-1
Here's what we learned from the Bengals' 24-21 win over the Jaguars:
Joe Burrow has best game of young career
Cincinnati's franchise quarterback was on fire from the first play of the game. For the last three weeks, the Bengals defense has been carrying the team. On Thursday night, it was Burrow's turn to return the favor. Burrow and his offensive weapons Tyler Boyd, Ja'Marr Chase and C.J. Uzomah carried the team in the second half. Wide receiver Tee Higgins was unable to play with a shoulder injury. After a shaky start to the game and a 14-point hole to overcome, Burrow completed 25 of his 32 passes for 348 yards and more importantly, didn't have one turnover. His best play of the night came when he diagnosed Jacksonville was giving a Cover 0 look and he was able to throw a jailbreak screen to Uzomah for the first down that won the game. Burrow's ability to take command at the line of scrimmage and make decisions in the moment show the growth he's made from Year 1 to Year 2.
"You guys have heard me talking about just having the playbook in the back of my head and seeing looks that I can take advantage of, and that just comes with experience," Burrow said.
The Bengals needed Burrow to win the game on Thursday night and he did just that.
"I think I've gotten better and better each week," Burrow said. "Last week the defense played so well that I didn't have to do a lot. And then tonight, there's gonna be games like that where you have to step up and make plays. I'm really happy with my performance tonight. I'm just going to keep building on this and getting better and better."
Tyler Boyd continues to show his importance
Without wide receiver Tee Higgins not in the lineup for a second straight game, Tyler Boyd stepped up and caught nine passes for 118 yards. Four of his catches came on third downs that kept the offense on the field. His importance in the Bengals' offense can't be understated.
"We define a Bengal as P.H.A.T. (Physical Hungry Accountable Teammate), who is willing to get the job done and that’s Tyler Boyd," head coach Zac Taylor said. "The run game, protection when we ask him to, the pass game, leading. He doesn’t care about his touches. He’s happy when his teammates get it done. He cheers on the defense. He’s just a tremendous example of what we want to be all about."
Boyd owns his role and as one of the oldest players on the team in terms of experience wise, he knows his team, full of young talented players, is watching him.
"I’m a captain, so I’ve got to come in and bring energy," Boyd said. "I feel like I can get guys going."
Defense made the stops when it mattered most
The Bengals defense has been a top-10 unit for three weeks straight. In the first half, Cincinnati's defense couldn't stop Jacksonville running back James Robinson. Then it was Jaguars' wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. who couldn't be contained. It was arguably the worst performance defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's defense has had all year. But when the Bengals needed to make a stop and give the ball back to Joe Burrow and Co. they did with less than five minutes to play. Cincinnati's defense allowed just one touchdown in the second half and the goal-line stand on fourth down ahead before half ended up changing the game.
Linebacker Logan Wilson led the team with tackles for a second consecutive week with 10.
“The biggest difference is we’ve got guys who trust in each other and we’re playing hard," Wilson said following the game. "When you’ve got guys flying to the ball and trying to make plays on the ball, that’s effective. We’re all believing in (defensive coordinator) Lou (Anarumo’s) system and sometimes, people are going to make plays. We’ve got guys that never back down no matter what happens and keep fighting. That’s something we can definitely work with.”
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