Jake Browning’s Bengals beat the Jaguars but Trevor Lawrence is injured

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jaguars fell to the Cincinnati Bengals 34-31 on “Monday Night Football” in a game that saw quarterback Trevor Lawrence leave in the fourth quarter with a right ankle injury.

Bengals backup Jake Browning — who replaced an injured Joe Burrow — did his best impression in Jacksonville, leading Cincinnati to a 21-14 lead late in the third quarter. But the Jags came back with a pair of TDs, the second set up by Josh Allen’s interception of a Tyler Boyd pass, to take the lead.

Browning answered with a short TD to make the score 28-28, then ordered a late field goal on one possession after Lawrence went down and was taken to the locker room. Jaguars backup CJ Beathard responded with a field goal of his own, sending the game into overtime where Bengals kicker Evan McPherson won the game from 48 yards out.

The loss drops Jacksonville to 8-4 on the season, while the Bengals improve to 6-6 — and 1-1 since Burrow has been ruled out for the season with a right wrist injury.

Cincinnati Bengals

Jake Browning has done it.

In his second career start — in a primetime game against the AFC’s leading team — the Bengals’ backup quarterback had the kind of performance that will give the team hope that it can still compete for a playoff berth.

Browning was 32 of 37 passing for 354 yards and two touchdowns — one passing and one rushing. Two of those deficiencies were dropped by wide receivers. If Cincinnati can repeat that kind of performance, they will have a chance to reach the playoffs for a third straight year. Of Cincinnati’s five remaining opponents, only the Kansas City Chiefs are healthy.

Bold predictions: Rookie running back Chase Brown will see more carries the rest of the season. Cincinnati wanted to see how the fifth-round pick would perform on the ground before he went on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. In his second game back, Brown saw action early and often. And he showed why he can be the big play that Cincinnati has been missing the last two years. Brown’s 31-yard carry in the third quarter was the team’s longest from scrimmage this season. To put that into perspective, Joe Mixon had 35 yards on his first 10 carries. The remaining five games of the regular season could give the Bengals an expanded look at whether Brown can be a long-term starter.

Next Generation’s amazing statistics: Browning’s completion percentage compared to expectations in the first three quarters was a staggering 16.3%, according to NFL Next Gen, which ranked 12th out of 386 for quarterbacks through the first three quarters of a game this season. And it wasn’t just a lot of short throws that built that number. Of his first 20 completions, five were for 10 or more air yards, according to NFL Next Gen.

Next match: vs. Indianapolis Colts (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Dec. 10)

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars lost to Cincinnati in overtime, but perhaps suffered a worse loss when Lawrence sprained his right ankle late in the fourth quarter.

Lawrence was injured when Walker Little was pushed back as he tackled on the left and stepped on Lawrence’s right ankle. His leg apparently got stuck underneath him when he fell to the ground, and he needed help getting to the locker room.

If Lawrence is out, the team will turn to Beathard, who hasn’t started a game since Week 16 in 2021 for the San Francisco 49ers. Beathard only threw 17 passes in his two seasons with the Jaguars, but he led them into position for a game-tying field goal 26 seconds before the end of the match. The Jaguars play the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens in the next two weeks.

Pivotal play: Wide receiver Parker Washington turned an interception into a touchdown on a third-and-9 play from Cincinnati’s 14-yard line. Bengals safety Dax Hill caught Trevor Lawrence’s pass to Washington in the back of the end zone but was unable to catch the ball. Washington caught the deflection for his first NFL touchdown. Instead of trailing 21-14 and the Bengals riding a wave of momentum, the game was tied at 21.

Pivotal play, part two: This play proved even more important after linebacker Josh Allen intercepted Tyler Boyd’s pass attempt on a trick play to running back Joe Mixon on the Bengals’ first offensive snap after Washington’s touchdown. That gave the Jaguars the ball on the 9-yard line and Lawrence’s one-yard run on fourth-and-goal gave the Jaguars a 28-21 lead — a 14-point swing in 2:13.

The biggest flaw in the game plan: The Jaguars thought they would be able to pressure Bengals quarterback Jake Browning in his second career start, and they did so on a fourth-down play to stop Cincinnati’s first drive. However, that was largely in the first half. Per ESPN Stats & Info, the Jaguars were pressured on 14.3% of the Bengals’ putbacks in the first half (including Ja’Marr Chase’s lone attempt). Browning completed 17 of 19 passes for 178 yards in the first half, and had 260 receiving yards (and just three incompletions) entering the fourth quarter.

Next match: at Cleveland Browns (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, December 10)