CINCINNATI, Ohio – Call this another gritty, grimy – and glorious – day.

The Jaguars didn't play pretty all day Sunday. What they did was more important, grinding to a second consecutive impressive victory over an AFC contender – 22-17 over the Cincinnati Bengals in front of 66,492 at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Jaguars won, whatever it took.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw a touchdown, running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. ran for one and the Jaguars intercepted Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow at two key moments – with the Jaguars taking a ten-point halftime lead and holding off the Bengals in a competitive second half.

Burrow's 9-yard pass to running back Chase Brown on fourth-and-10 on the game's deciding drive was a yard short, with safety Rayuan Lane tackling him at the Jaguars 12 with :50 remaining to secure the victory.

Among the day's key plays: Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun intercepting Burrow at the Jaguars 10 early in the fourth quarter, preserving a 16-10 lead.

The Jaguars (3-1), winners of two consecutive games and 11 of their last 12 in the regular season, remained in first place in the AFC South – one game ahead of the Indianapolis Colts (2-2). The Bengals (2-2) lost a second consecutive game. The Jaguars beat defending AFC Champion New England, 35-6, last week.

Lawrence completed 18 of 23 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions – and his red-zone touchdown pass to wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. late in the first half gave the Jaguars a 13-3 halftime lead after a penalty-filled, tight first half.

Burrow completed 39 of 54 passes for 428 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.

Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten rushed 17 times for 73 yards and no touchdowns, with two first-half touchdown runs negated by penalty. The Jaguars committed 13 penalties for 125 yards, with 10 for 100 yards in the first half.

Rodriguez ran six times for 35 yards, with the Jaguars rushing for 111 yards overall.

The Jaguars registered two sacks – one by defensive end Danny Striggow in the first quarter and one by defensive tackle Arik Armstread in the third quarter,

The Jaguars also continued their early-season surge forcing takeaways, with cornerback Jourdan Lewis intercepting Burrow late in the first half to set up Lawrence's touchdown pass to Thomas. The Jaguars now have eight takeaways this season after entering Sunday tied for third in the NFL in the category.

2026 Week 4, Step by step:

• Jaguars kicker Cam Little's 55-yard field goal capped a nine-play, 44-yard drive to give the Jaguars a 3-0 lead with 2:23 remaining in the first quarter.
• Bengals kicker Evan McPherson's 29-yard field goal capped a 14-play, 67-yard drive and made it 3-3 with 10:03 remaining in the first quarter; a roughing-the-passer penalty on Armstead negated an interception by cornerback Travis Hunter early in the drive. Little's 28-yard field goal capped a 12-play, 63-yard drive for a 6-3 Jaguars lead with 4:19 remaining in the second quarter. Thomas's seven-yard reception with 1:23 remaining in the half pushed the lead to 13-3, with Thomas' touchdown four plays after Lewis returned an interception 45 yards to the Bengals 18.
• Burrow's 15-yard pass to tight end Mike Gesicki capped a 12-play, 67-yard drive to start the second half and cut the lead to 13-10 with 8:44 remaining in the third quarter. Little's 54-yard field goal on the ensuing possession capped a 10-play, 39-yard drive and pushed the lead to 16-10 with 3:00 remaining in the third quarter.
• Rodrguez's 25-yard run with 6:35 remaining in the fourth quarter capped a seven-play, 76-yard drive and pushed the lead to 22-10. Burrow's one-yard run capped a nine-play, 71-yard drive and cut the lead to 22-17 with 3:28 remaining.

Notable: The Jaguars have allowed three or fewer points in the first half in all four games this season, the longest such streak to start a season by any NFL team since the 2019 Patriots (also four games). The Jaguars' defense has an interception in nine consecutive games, the longest such streak in franchise history and longest active such streak in the NFL. Cornerback Montaric Brown, a starter opposite Hunter in the first three games of the 2026 season, was among seven game-day for the Jaguars Sunday. He missed the game with a hamstring injury. The Jaguars' other inactives Sunday: Rookie wide receiver CJ Williams, guard Daniel Faalele, cornerback Christian Braswell, defensive end Wesley Williams, linebacker Jack Kiser and safety Jalen Huskey.

Injury report: Safety Caleb Ransaw sustained a first-quarter knee injury and did not return, with safety Eric Murray leaving in the third quarter with a concussion and not returning.