5 biggest Jaguars winners & 2 losers from super close win vs. Bengals in Week 4

You have to give the Jacksonville Jaguars credit for showing resilience in their Week 4 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. They led throughout most of the game, but Cincy was able to keep up with the Jags and made things interesting until the very end.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Bengals were trailing 22-17 but had no trouble marching down the field. It looked like they were going to get ahead on the scoreboard, but their drive suddenly stalled. Joe Burrow threw three incomplete passes but managed to hit running back Chase Brown on fourth down.

It looked like Brown was going to move the chains, but the Jacksonville defense stopped him one yard short of the first-down mark. It wasn't pretty, but the Jaguars got it done and are now 3-1. And with this in mind, here are the biggest winners (and two losers) from the 22-17 win.

Biggest winners and losers from the Jaguars' win vs. the Bengals

Winner Brian Thomas Jr., wide receiver

Brian Thomas Jr. rightly caught heat for having two costly drops in Week 2, but he also deserves praise for putting his head down and getting whatever role the team gives him. Against the New England Patriots, No. 7 only had one target for eight yards on 23 snaps. One week later, he scored his first touchdown of the season to put the Jaguars up 13-6 late in the first half.

Now, Thomas may still have a long way to go to earn a featured role again, but at least he took a step in the right direction against Cincinnati.

Loser: Arik Armstead, defensive end

Travis Hunter played well, building off his strong showing against the New England Patriots. He registered his would-be second interception of the season in the first quarter of the Bengals game, but a penalty by Arik Armstead wiped out the play.

Armstead kind of made up for it with a sack of Joe Burrow later in the game. Still, having the interception called back stings.

Winner: Travis Hunter, cornerback

Even though Travis Hunter had his interception called back, he routinely made plays throughout the game.

Hunter was also sticky in coverage, which is why Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati offense had trouble moving the football through the air.

Hunter has shown substantial improvement since the start of the season, and the Jags deserve credit for progressively increasing his workload. It's also worth noting that No. 12 played a team-high 76 defensive snaps and gave up just three passes for 21 yards on six targets.

Loser: Ezra Cleveland, offensive guard

Several Jaguars offensive linemen were flagged for holding, and most of those penalties stalled drives. Ezra Cleveland committed one of those, and it stands out because Bhayshul Tuten broke off a touchdown run but was called back because of Cleveland.

As you can see, penalties were a theme throughout the game. They wiped out two big plays that could have swung momentum in Jacksonville's favor.

Winner: Jourdan Lewis, cornerback

While Travis Hunter had his interception wiped out, Jourdan Lewis couldn't have come up clutch at a better time, picking Joe Burrow just before halftime. The Jacskonville offense got the ball and made it 13-6 with Brian Thomas Jr.'s touchdown.

Lewis has already registered two interceptions this season. He's within one of tying his career best of three. With plenty of time left in the season, maybe the former Michigan Wolverine can set a new personal best.

Winner: Chris Rodriguez, running back

Bhayshul Tuten had his touchdown wiped out but overall had a strong day against Cincinnati, toting the rock 14 times for 73 yards. Rodriguez also had what was his best game of the season, racking up 35 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

Rodriguez overcame what was a somewhat slow start to the season and has quickly become a dependable piece in the Jacksonville backfield.

Winner: Foyesade Oluokun, linebacker

Early in the fourth quarter, it looked like the Bengals were on their way to score, but linebacker Foyesade Oluokun was having none of it and picked off Joe Burrow, giving Jacksonville its second takeaway of the game.

When Devin Lloyd left the Jags, there were questions about how much they were going to miss him, but Foye has done a good job of filling in the void at the position and coming up clutch when his team needs him.

Following the game, Liam Coen praised both Oluokun and Lewis for picking off Joe Burrow: "Huge leaders, captains, guys that, in times of crisis, your best players need to step up and make plays, and our defense just keeps doing it. But especially being led by those guys at the second level."

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