The Jaguars came with blitzes Sunday against Cincinnati and tried to shoot the gaps with a four-man front.
But Bengals rookie Joe Burrow still stood calmly in the pocket, undaunted.
The Jaguars defense struggled for much of the day, unable to pressure Burrow or tackle running back Joe Mixon. And the Bengals exposed those problems to come away with a 33-25 victory at Paul Brown Stadium for their first win of the season.
It was the Jaguars' third consecutive loss since they opened the season with a 27-20 victory against the Indianapolis Colts at TIAA Bank Field.
After a week of emphasizing a necessity to play better after 37-year-old quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick helped the Miami Dolphins put up 31 points on the Jaguars, they did not respond.
After leading 13-10 at halftime, the Jaguars give up three consecutive scoring drives, including two for touchdowns.
The Jaguars (1-3) came in with only three sacks, and they did not get any Sunday against a Bengals offensive line that had allowed Burrow to be sacked a league-high 14 times after the first three games.
The Jaguars avoided giving up an opening drive touchdown for the fourth consecutive game because coach Doug Marrone elected to put his offense on the field first after winning the coin toss.
Cincinnati Bengals kicker Randy Bullock (4) kicks an extra point against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first half of an NFL football game in Cincinnati, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
Still, the Jaguars' defense gave up an opening drive touchdown at the start of the third quarter. Bengals running back Joe Mixon bolted around the right end for a 34-yard touchdown. On the play, the Jaguars defensive front got knocked back, and rookie Chris Claybrooks couldn't seal off the edge.
Mixon bolted through the middle for a 23-yard touchdown on the Bengals' second drive of the half.
By the end of the third quarter, the Bengals already had 383 total yards, with Burrow passing for 244 yards.
The Jaguars' problems were numerous, from mental errors to missed tackles. Cornerback Tre Herndon was flagged for pass interference and defensive holding in the first half.
Rookie running back James Robinson broke off a 40-yard run early in the third quarter, but it was called back because James O'Shaughnessy was flagged for offensive holding.
Adding to Marrone's long day, rookie cornerback CJ Henderson (shoulder), linebacker Myles Jack (ankle), and nickel cornerback D.J. Hayden (hamstring), all defensive starters, were knocked out of the game.
Before he was forced out early in the third quarter, Jack made a remarkable play in the second quarter when he intercepted a Burrow pass in the end zone intended for tight end Drew Sample on a third-and-1 play at the Jaguars 1.
Cincinnati tied the score at 10 on Burrow's 9-yard touchdown pass to Mixon with 56 seconds left before halftime. With no timeouts left, the Jaguars responded by going 74 yards on eight plays. But they had to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Aldrick Rosas instead of a touchdown to go up 13-10 at halftime.
