JACKSONVILLE — The first win of Jake Browning’s career could not have been more epic.
Evan McPherson kicked a 48-yard field goal with 1:45 left in overtime to lift the visiting Cincinnati Bengals past the Jacksonville Jaguars, 34-31, Monday night.
The Jaguars lost quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a lower right leg injury when left tackle Walker Little stepped on Lawrence’s lower right leg. He tossed his helmet aside in frustration and left the game for backup C.J. Beathard. Lawrence could not put any weight on his right leg as he left the field.
Lawrence was 22-for-28 for 258 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with the leg injury.
Beathard fumbled on his first snap, but it was recovered by Parker Washington. Beathard then directed a drive that ended when Brandon McManus connected from 40 yards with 26 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
Beathard completed a 42-yard pass to Calvin Ridley down to the Cincinnati 2 in overtime, but Anton Harrison was called for holding Cincinnati’s Sam Hubbard. Two plays later, Jacksonville punted.
Jake Browning, his second career start after Joe Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury, then led the Bengals on a drive that ended with McPherson’s game-winning field goal.
Browning had a career game, completing 32-of-37 passes for 354 yards and a touchdown. He also ran a touchdown in.
Ja’Marr Chase had 11 catches for 149 yards and a 76-yard touchdown.
Evan McPherson kicked a 54-yarder with 2:28 left in regulation to give the Bengals a 31-28 lead.
The Jaguars went down the field with little resistance on their first drive of the game, highlighted by a 26-yard pass from Lawrence down to Christian Kirk down to the Cincinnati 25 on the first play of the drive.
But on the play Kirk suffered a groin injury. The star receiver walked slowly to the Jacksonville sideline before heading to the locker room. He did not return.
The Bengals captured the momentum early in the third quarter by forcing a Jaguars punt before Browning tossed a perfect pass down the left sideline to Ja’Marr Chase on third-and-2 from the Cincinnati 24.
Chase caught the ball in stride and raced all the way for a 76-yard touchdown that put the underdog Bengals ahead, 21-14, with 11:50 left in the third quarter.
With Browning completing 19-of-21 passes for 261 yards and the touchdown to Chase, the Bengals tried a trick play that backfired badly.
Tyler Boyd caught a backwards pass from Browning at the Cincinnati 15. He then attempted to complete the double-pass by throwing back across the field for Joe Mixon but didn’t see linebacker Josh Allen in the way.
Allen picked off the pass and returned it to the Cincinnati 9. Then on fourth-and-goal from the 1, Lawrence extended the ball over the goal line before it was knocked out of his hand and recovered by Sam Hubbard.
The touchdown capped a 14-point surge in two minutes, 16 seconds and put Jacksonville up, 28-21.
Browning and the Bengals recovered with a nine-play, 48-yard drive, highlight by a fourth-down conversion. One play after dropping a potential first down pass, Ja’Marr Chase caught a pass for five yards. Two plays later Browning ran it in on a sneak to tie the game, 28-28, with 9:27 left in the fourth quarter.
