CINCINNATI — The Bengals came within a few plays of leaving Pittsburgh with a 3-0 record. Instead, Cincinnati returns home looking to respond after its first loss of the season.

The Bengals host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon in a matchup between a pair of 2-1 teams with legitimate aspirations of playing well into January.

Cincinnati fell to Pittsburgh, 30-27, last week despite easily its best offensive performance of the young season. Joe Burrow looked much more like the quarterback Bengals fans have grown accustomed to seeing, completing 28 of 37 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns while posting a 123.9 passer rating.

Jacksonville arrives in Cincinnati with momentum of its own. The Jaguars dismantled New England, 35-6, last week and have averaged just over 27 points through their first three games. Trevor Lawrence has thrown seven touchdown passes against just two interceptions while completing 66.7 percent of his passes and posting a 107.8 passer rating.

Sunday should provide Cincinnati with a much better idea of where it stands. The Bengals handled Tampa Bay and Houston to open the season before falling just short on the road against Pittsburgh. Jacksonville represents another quality AFC opponent, and unlike a week ago, Cincinnati gets this one in front of its home crowd.

Players to Watch

• Joe Burrow — Burrow looked far more comfortable against Pittsburgh than he did during Cincinnati's first two games. He completed his first 14 passes and finished with season highs in completions, passing yards, touchdown passes and passer rating. More importantly, the offense finally looked capable of consistently stressing a defense through the air. Burrow enters Sunday completing 70.9 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and just one interception through three games. Jacksonville has enough offensive firepower to turn this into a game where Cincinnati may need to score into the 30s, so another sharp performance from Burrow could be necessary.

• Dohnte Meyers — With Andrei Iosivas on injured reserve because of a thumb injury and Colbie Young ruled out with a knee injury, Meyers has an opportunity to take on a much larger role in Cincinnati's offense. The former CFL standout has four catches for 47 yards through three games after becoming one of the feel-good stories of Bengals training camp and earning a spot on the 53-man roster. Jacksonville will undoubtedly devote plenty of attention to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, which could leave opportunities underneath and from the slot. Meyers spent the summer proving he belonged in the NFL. Sunday could give him his first real opportunity to prove he can make a difference in a meaningful regular-season role.

• P.J. Jules — Cincinnati's depth at safety could be tested Sunday. Starting safety Bryan Cook is questionable with an ankle injury after being limited throughout the week, while Kyle Dugger has already been ruled out with a quadriceps injury. Jordan Battle returned to full practice Friday, but if Cook cannot go, Jules could be asked to take on a significantly larger role on the back end of Al Golden's defense. That would be quite an assignment against Lawrence and a Jacksonville offense that has scored 82 points through three games. Jules has played almost exclusively on special teams so far, making him one of the more interesting players to watch if Cincinnati is forced to dig deeper into its secondary.

Game Information

Notes

• Cincinnati and Jacksonville both enter Sunday at 2-1.
• Burrow has completed 70.9 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and one interception through three games.
• Lawrence has thrown for 616 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions with a 107.8 passer rating.
• Andrei Iosivas remains on injured reserve with a thumb injury, while Colbie Young has been ruled out with a knee injury.
• Bryan Cook and B.J. Hill are questionable for Cincinnati. Kyle Dugger has been ruled out.
• The Bengals will wear black jerseys, black pants with orange stripes and orange socks.
• Cincinnati has won the last five meetings between the teams, tying the all-time series at 13-13.

Prediction

This has all the makings of one of the better games of the weekend.

Jacksonville is playing well, Lawrence has been efficient, and an offense averaging over 27 points per game is more than capable of taking advantage if Cincinnati's defense has another uneven afternoon, particularly with the injury concerns at safety for the Bengals. The Jaguars will have their moments, and there is very little about this matchup that suggests the Bengals are going to spend Sunday comfortably protecting a two-score lead.

But there was also a lot to like about Cincinnati's offense in Pittsburgh. Burrow looked like Burrow again, Chase and Higgins both produced, and the Bengals moved the football against a good Steelers defense despite playing on the road.

Now they get Jacksonville at Paycor Stadium.

The Jaguars will land some punches. So will the Bengals. In the end, a little bit of home cooking never hurt anyone.

Final Score: Cincinnati 31, Jacksonville 27