After easily dismantling the New England Patriots in Week 3, the Jacksonville Jaguars will next face a Cincinnati Bengals team that's looking to bounce back from its first loss of the 2026 season. Like the Jags, Cincinnati is 2-1 and is stacked with lots of talent on both sides of the ball. That could turn out to be an issue.
The Bengals' offense in particular is clicking because quarterback Joe Burrow is healthy and playing at a high level, like he routinely does. On top of that, star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase remains one of the top-tier receivers in the NFL. Slowing him will be key, and it's hard to tell if Jacksonville will be able to do so.
After all, the Jaguars secondary had trouble containing Jaylen Waddle in Week 2, allowing him to catch eight passes for 138 yards on 10 targets. If they let Chase have that kind of performance in Week 4, their odds of winning their third game of the season will decrease dramatically.
The Jaguars are aware that Ja'Marr Chase poses a threat
Liam Coen met with the local media and heaped praise on Ja'Marr Chase, noting that he'll find success even against the best cornerbacks.
You talk about any lockdown corner in this league, and he's still going to get his. I don't know what he had exactly stat line against Houston, but we all know Derek Stingley is a really good player, and he's gonna get his," Coen told reporters. "It's very difficult to say, like he's just not gonna catch balls this week, right? And so it's for our guys. It's all right. Hey, got to be physical."
Coen continued, "We obviously have to have a plan in terms of awareness, situational. Where is he, where they going with the football in certain situations? But also tackling them, right? We have to be at our best with our pursuit angles, our clamp tackling, our strain and effort to the football. Like when they just dish out a little flat route. I mean, that could go to the house."
This season, Chase has reeled in 18 receptions for 185 yards with three touchdowns on 25 targets. Shockingly, he's yet to have a 100-yard game, so you can bet he'll be incentivized to get it in Week 4. Then again, the former LSU Tiger isn't the only receiver Jacskonville will have to account for against the Bengals.
Tee Higgins is still around, and Chase Brown is off to a strong start to the 2026 season. If that wasn't enough, Dohnte Meyers has also seen an uptick in playing time, so the Jags cannot afford to overlook him. Below is Coen's full exchange with the local media. His remarks about Chase start at the 5:17 mark.
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The Jaguars secondary can't allow Ja'Marr Chase to make plays
You have to give the Jaguars defense credit for giving up lots of yards in Week 4 but limiting New England to a measly six points. That said, wide receiver A.J. Brown wasn't available for the game, so you can make the case that Jacksonville got a bit of a break.
Working in the Jags' favor is that they have a talented group of corners in Jourdan Lewis, Montaric Brown, Jarrian Jones, and Travis Hunter. One thing that helped in the win over the Patriots is that Hunter got a bigger role on defense. He should once again be part of the game plan against Cincinnati.
The Jaguars will have their work cut out for them in Week 4 but have a realistic chance of beating Cincinnati. Their odds will only increase if they manage to contain Ja'Marr Chase.
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