The Cincinnati Bengals went on the road and won an ugly game against the Browns to start their season with a 1-0 record. Now they host the Jaguars on their home opener with a chance to go 2-0 before the schedule tightens up.
The Jaguars have a narrow 13-12 edge in their history with the Bengals, but Cincinnati has won the last three matchups, including an overtime thriller in 2023.
Here are some of the matchups that could help decide whether the Bengals even their record against the Jaguars or fall two games back.
Joe Burrow vs. Trevor Lawrence
These two quarterbacks, who were No. 1 overall picks in back-to-back years, are forever linked by the NCAA Football National Championship in January of 2020, when Burrow’s LSU Tigers defeated Lawrence’s Tigers by a score of 42-25. Burrow was selected with the No.1 overall pick a short time later.
Burrow and the offense have an early-season issue that makes them sluggish. They played the starting offense more this preseason than they have in all the others in the Zac-Taylor era combined, and they still came out slow against the Browns.
Burrow has never lost to Lawrence. He beat him in the National Championship game in college and he’s defeated him in the two games they faced each other in the NFL. To keep the win streak going, Burrow and the offense needs to be better in Week 2.
Dalton Risner vs. Arik Armstead
Armstead bounced all over the line for the Jaguars last week, but he was most disruptive when rushing from the inside. Risner stepped in like a true pro when Lucas Patrick went down with a calf injury shortly after the game started, and he played well. If the Bengals’ offensive line has a weakness right now, it is at guard, despite the additions made, just because Risner and rookie Dylan Fairchild are both playing in their second games in Bengals’ uniforms.
Expect the Jaguars to overwhelm either guard to prevent Burrow from stepping up into the pocket. If they can do that, they’ll have their best chance of disrupting the Bengals’ powerful passing attack.
Shemar Stewart vs. Anton Harrison
Stewart didn’t come up with any sacks for the stat sheet in his NFL debut, but he did have the second-highest pass-rush win rate of rookies in Week 1. I expect him to get more playing time in Week 2 than he did against the Browns, possibly evening up the snaps between him and Joseph Ossai.
Harrison is a former first-round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, and he was perfect in Week 1 against the Panthers, not allowing a single pressure, per PFF. In fact, Lawrence wasn’t sacked a single time against the Panthers.
If Shemar Stewart can work on finishing, and if he and Trey Hendrickson form a solid duo, watch out.
TJ Slaton vs. Travis Etienne Jr.
Do you know who else played in that 2020 National Championship game? Travis Etienne did, as Clemson’s primary running back. Last week, Etienne went off on the Panthers, rushing 143 yards on just 16 carries. That’s an average of 8.9 yards per carry, and if he can do that again on Sunday, the Bengals will be in trouble. Now that Tank Bigsby is with the Eagles, Etienne is going to be the main attraction in the Jaguars’ backfield.
The Bengals signed Slaton as a free agent before the 2025 season for exactly that reason. They need him to just take up space and clog up lanes. They struggled to stop the run in 2024, and the best way to beat the Bengals is to run the ball and just take as much time off as possible. Slaton gumming up the works can help make that much harder for the Jaguars.
Cam Taylor-Britt vs. Travis Hunter
CTB struggled in his 2025 debut. He gave up six receptions on seven targets, including a touchdown, and was often seen trailing behind his assigned receiver. He had a down year in 2024, and Al Golden desperately needs him to bounce back to who he was in his first two seasons with the Bengals. After watching film of the Bengals, it’s safe to assume Lawrence will be looking to the receiver CTB is covering.
That could be Hunter, the team’s new wide receiver/cornerback, who was taken with the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft. Hunter is first on the depth chart as a wide receiver and is a backup cornerback. Last week, he saw a handful of snaps on defense, but he was primarily used on offense. When he’s one-on-one with CTB, hopefully, he’ll be shut down, or at least kept in check.
What matchups will you be keeping an eye on?
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