Jake Browning relieves the injured Joe Burrow and scores late TD as Bengals beat Jaguars 31-27

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jake Browning and the Cincinnati Bengals turned a nightmarish first half — including an injury to Joe Burrow — into a dream finish.

Browning relieved Burrow and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard sneak with 18 seconds remaining to give the Bengals a 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday and their first 2-0 start since 2018.

Burrow suffered a left toe injury in the first half and did not return. He left the locker room on crutches and with a boot on his foot, an ominous sign that the Bengals may be without their franchise quarterback for a while.

“It’s a touch of gray on the day. Won the game, very happy for that but I'm sure people are concerned,” center Ted Karras said.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor said he didn't have an update on Burrow's injury.

“Resilient group that found a way. It feels like that’s what this year is turning into already,” Taylor said. “You know, just a group that believes in each other and never flinches, even when things are difficult.”

Browning threw three interceptions, but also accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). Cincinnati scored on four of the eight drives he led, none more important than the last.

The Bengals took over at their own 8 with 3:42 remaining after the Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence couldn't connect with Brian Thomas Jr. on fourth-and-5. Browning directed a 15-play, 92-yard drive on which he completed 9 of 12 passes for 65 yards, including a 13-yard flare to running back Chase Brown on fourth-and-3 at the 15.

Cincinnati also benefited from a pass-interference penalty on Jacksonville two-way rookie Travis Hunter on a fourth-down play at the Bengals 33. The call moved the ball to the Jaguars 42 with 1:49 remaining.

“I had thrown three picks, and somehow we had a chance to win the game,” said Browning, who completed 21 of 32 passes for 241 yards. “I can't be afraid of the fourth in that situation. The defense did a good job forcing a turnover on downs, so I had to be delusional and aggressive, because the moment called for it.”

On the sneak, Karras and Browning said they knew the Jaguars were trying to go low, which created the opportunity for him to lunge over the goal line.

Burrow was 7 of 13 for 76 yards and a touchdown before the injury. The sixth-year quarterback left after he was sacked by Arik Armstead with 9:02 remaining in the second quarter. It was the Jaguars' second sack of Burrow.

“You think you're on the sideline then you're thrown in. That creates an emotional jump. You try to ride that wave and operate,” Browning said.

The Bengals trailed 17-10 at halftime.

“We found ourselves in an offensive nightmare. I credit everyone for digging ourselves and not just folding in because that could have easily happened,” Karras said.

Browning's best throw was a 42-yard touchdown to Tee Higgins in the fourth quarter that made it 24-24. On third-and-5, Higgins got separation from Tyson Campbell and caught the ball at the Jacksonville 16. Campbell and teammate Andrew Wingard ran into each other at the 11, allowing Higgins to waltz into the end zone.

The Jaguars converted only one of their three interceptions into a touchdown.

First-year coach Liam Coen said of his late fourth-down decision: “That's a 100 percent a ‘Go.’”

Trevor Lawrence completed 25 of 43 passes for 294 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions for the Jaguars (1-1).

“I think overall, we showed we can make plays. Just the consistency piece is lacking at times. Not shooting ourselves in the foot. That’s still showing up. It’s something we have to correct," Lawrence said.

Ja’Marr Chase, who had only two catches for 26 yards in last week's opener at Cleveland, had 14 receptions for 165 yards. The fifth-year Bengals wide receiver, who reached 400 career receptions during the first quarter, hauled in his first touchdown of the season on a 4-yard quick slant in the first quarter.

Chase said Browning's first interception was his fault after he cut the route short.

It was a roller-coaster start for Lawrence, who alternated TD passes and picks on the Jags' first four drives.

Lawrence had TD passes to Dyami Brown and Brayshul Tuten on the Jaguars' first and third possessions. The 9-yard score by Brown marked the second straight week Jacksonville got points on its opening drive and Cincinnati allowed a touchdown.

Travis Etienne rushed for 71 yards and had a 11-yard touchdown catch with 4:08 remaining in the third quarter to put Jacksonville up 24-17.

“I thought he was getting us in and out of the right things and made a lot of good throws,” Coen said about Lawrence. “We can win with him playing like that and limiting the turnovers.”

The Bengals tied it at 17-all on the first drive of the second half when Mitchell Tinsley made a one-handed grab over cornerback Jarrian Jones in the right corner of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown.

Not only was it the first score of Tinsley's career, it was his first NFL catch.

Jaguars: CB Jarrian Jones suffered a back injury in the first quarter but returned in the second.

Bengals: Rookie DE Shemar Stewart had a right ankle injury in the fourth quarter and did not return.

Jaguars: Host AFC South rival Houston next Sunday.

Bengals: At Minnesota next Sunday, the start of five straight games against teams that made the playoffs last season.

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Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Dyami Brown (5) catches a touchdown past Cincinnati Bengals cornerback DJ Turner II during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) calls a play during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, center, is exits the medical tent for the locker room after suffering an injury during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) signals for a first down during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning, right, is hugged by tight end Noah Fant after Browning's rushing touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge Thursday cleared the way for a New York offshore wind project to resume construction, a victory for the developer who said a Trump administration order to pause it would likely kill the project in a matter of days.

District Judge Carl J. Nichols, an appointee of President Donald Trump, ruled construction on the Empire Wind project could go forward while he considers the merits of the government’s order to suspend the project. He faulted the government for not responding to key points in Empire Wind’s court filings, including the contention that the administration violated proper procedure.

Norwegian company Equinor owns Empire Wind. Spokesperson David Schoetz said they welcome the court's decision and will continue to work in collaboration with authorities. It’s the second developer to prevail in court against the administration this week.

The Trump administration froze five big offshore wind projects on the East Coast days before Christmas, citing national security concerns. Trump has targeted offshore wind from his first days back in the White House, most recently calling wind farms “losers” that lose money, destroy the landscape and kill birds.

Developers and states sued seeking to block the order. Large, ocean-based wind farms are the linchpin of plans to shift to renewable energy in East Coast states that have limited land for onshore wind turbines or solar arrays.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul applauded the court decision, telling reporters the projects had been “stopped under the bogus pretense of national security.”

“When I heard this I said one thing: I’m the governor of New York, if there is a national security threat off the coast of New York, you need to tell me what it is. I want a briefing right now. Well, lo and behold, they had no answer,” she said.

On Monday, a judge ruled that the Danish energy company Orsted could resume its project to serve Rhode Island and Connecticut. Senior Judge Royce Lamberth said the government did not sufficiently explain the need for a complete stop to construction. That wind farm, called Revolution Wind, is nearly complete. It’s expected to meet roughly 20% of the electricity needs in Rhode Island, the smallest state, and about 5% of Connecticut’s electricity needs.

Orsted is also suing over the pause of its Sunrise Wind project for New York, with a hearing still to be set. Dominion Energy Virginia, which is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, plans to ask a judge Friday to block the administration’s order so it can resume construction, too.

Trump has also dismissed offshore wind developments as ugly, but the Empire project is about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) offshore and the Sunrise project is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) offshore.

The fifth paused project is Vineyard Wind, under construction in Massachusetts. Vineyard Wind LLC, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, joined the rest of the developers in challenging the administration on Thursday. They filed a complaint in District Court in Boston.

In contrast to the halted action in the U.S., the global offshore wind market is growing, with China leading the world in new installations. Nearly all of the new electricity added to the grid in 2024 was renewable. The British government said Wednesday it secured a record 8.4 gigawatts of offshore wind in Europe’s largest offshore wind auction, enough clean electricity to power more than 12 million homes.

Robin Shaffer, president of Protect Our Coast New Jersey, said the Trump administration was right to stop construction on national security grounds. He urged officials to immediately appeal the adverse rulings and seek to halt all work pending appellate review. Opponents of offshore wind projects are particularly vocal and well-organized in New Jersey.

Empire Wind is 60% complete and designed to power more than 500,000 homes. Equinor said the project was in jeopardy due to the limited availability of specialized vessels, as well as heavy financial losses.

During a hearing Wednesday, Judge Nichols said the government’s main security concern seemed to be over operation of the wind turbines, not construction, although the government pushed back on that contention.

In presenting the government’s case, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, Jr. was skeptical of the perfect storm of horrible events that Empire Wind said would derail their entire project if construction didn’t resume. He disagreed with the contention that the government’s main concern was over operation.

“I don’t see how you can make this distinction,” Woodward said. He likened it to a nuclear project being built that presented a national security risk. The government would oppose it being built, and it turning on.

Molly Morris, Equinor’s senior vice president overseeing Empire Wind, said in an interview that the company wants to build this project and deliver a major, essential new source of power for New York.

McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island. Associated Press writer Anthony Izaguirre contributed to this report from Albany, New York.

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FILE - Wind turbines operate at Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

FILE - Wind turbine bases, generators and blades sit along with support ships at The Portsmouth Marine terminal that is the staging area for Dominion Energy Virginia, which is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Dec. 22, 2025, in Portsmouth, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

FILE - A sign for the company Equinor is displayed on Oct. 28, 2020, in Fornebu, Norway. (Håkon Mosvold Larsen/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)

Blades and turbine bases for offshore wind sit at a staging area at New London State Pier, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in New London, Conn. (AP Photo/Matt O'Brien)