The Jacksonville Jaguars walked into Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday and walked out with another huge victory over one of the AFC’s top teams. 

Boy, did they have to earn it. 

With the Bengals driving for a potential game-winning touchdown, running back Chase Brown was tackled a half-yard short on fourth-and-10, finally sealing the 22-17 win. 

Trevor Lawrence had an extremely efficient game, completing 18 of 23 passes for 227 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. 

The Bengals threw the ball at will against the Jaguars, even after superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase left the game early with a concussion. 

However, the defense made huge plays at the most critical moments. 

It was a total team effort that has Jacksonville sitting alone in first place in the AFC South at 3-1. 

Here are my four biggest takeaways from the Jaguars’ nail-biting win. 

1. The defense is full of playmakers: Joe Burrow may have thrown for 428 yards, but the defense stepped up in the clutch with game-changing plays. 

Cornerback Jourdan Lewis picked off a Burrow pass late in the first half and returned it all the way down to the Bengals’ 18, setting up Lawrence’s TD strike to Brian Thomas Jr. to take a 13-3 lead into halftime. 

Up 16-10 to start the fourth quarter, Cincinnati looked poised to take the lead after driving all the way down to Jacksonville’s 10. That’s when linebacker Foye Oluokun stepped in front of a Burrow pass for his own interception, preserving the Jaguars’ fragile lead. 

Travis Hunter (more on him in a bit) was all over the field as well. He made a great play to pick off Burrow, and then showed off his moves by juking WR Tee Higgins out of his shoes to start a long return. However, the play was wiped out by a roughing-the-passer penalty. 

2. Travis Hunter is becoming a great cornerback: Hunter was outstanding on Sunday, even without the interception. He was targeted six times, allowing only three catches for 21 yards. Burrow’s passer rating when targeting Hunter was a paltry 58.3. The second-year phenom broke up two passes and showed some physicality on his four total tackles. 

Perhaps most impressively, Hunter played a whopping 76 snaps on defense, the most of his career. Every week, Hunter is getting better and looks like a future All-Pro. 

3. The offense can survive an off-game from Parker Washington: Since the middle of last year,  Washington has not only been Jacksonville’s best receiver, but one of the best WRs in the NFL. 

On Sunday, Washington had only one catch for seven yards, and that didn’t come until after the two-minute warning. Yet, the Jaguars were still able to beat a very good opponent on the road, showing they can win even without the offense’s most dynamic player making an impact. 

4. Trevor Lawrence is a legit MVP candidate: 227 passing yards and one touchdown isn’t exactly a stat line that jumps off the page, but that doesn’t tell the story of Lawrence’s afternoon. 

He was calm, cool, and collected, and played with complete control all game. Even under pressure, Lawrence delivered. He was incredibly efficient, completing 18 of 23 passes. Most importantly, he didn’t make any mistakes and took great care of the ball. 

The game was a nail-biter that wasn’t decided until the final minute, yet Lawrence never flinched. Without his composure, Jacksonville doesn’t win this game.