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Feisty Bengals hold off Jaguars

Nov 2, 2014 - 11:42 PM Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Jeremy Hill rushed for a career-high 154 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries in his first career start in place of injured starter Giovani Bernard to lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a 33-23 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

A.J. Green, who missed the past three games with a toe injury, caught three passes for 44 yards and a score and Mohamed Sanu finished with a touchdown and 95 yards on four grabs for the Bengals (5-2-1), who have gone 13-0-1 in their last 14 home games.

Andy Dalton threw for 233 yards on 19-of-31 attempts with two touchdowns but also was responsible for two interceptions in the win.

"He played well. I thought he came and answered," Dalton said of Hill. "We feel like we are doing some good things. We just have to keep that going."

Blake Bortles completed 22-of-33 passes for 247 yards, two touchdowns to Allen Hurns and one interception for Jacksonville (1-8), which dropped its second straight game since winning its lone game of the season against Cleveland.

"I think there's just a lot more that can be done," said Bortles. "I think there are a lot of plays left on the field that can be made."

Hurns ended with 112 yards on seven catches, while Denard Robinson rushed for 94 yards and a score on 17 carries.

Hurns caught his second touchdown of the day from 18 yards out with 9:55 to play, but Bortles' pass to Shorts on the two-point conversion attempt was incomplete to keep it a 26-16 game.

The Jaguars cashed in on another Bengals turnover. Dalton's pass deflected off the back of an offensive lineman and was intercepted by J.T. Thomas III, who returned it to the 7-yard line. Robinson ran for two yards before getting his team within three points on a 5-yard plunge with 8:13 to play

Hill, however, needed just nine seconds to extend the Jaguars lead back to 10 points. The LSU product dashed down the right side and shook off a defender before reaching the end zone for a 60-yard score and a 33-23 advantage with 8:04 remaining.

The Jaguars drove down to their opponents' 14 before Bortles' pass intended for Clay Harbor was intercepted by George Iloka in the end zone and returned 16 yards to put the game out of reach.

The Bengals extended their lead to 19-3 with an 8-play, 62-yard drive coming out of halftime. Dalton hit Sanu with a 36-yard pass and three plays later, Hill, who returned to the game after tweaking his knee, scampered into the end zone from a yard out.

Jacksonville responded with a touchdown drive of its own. Cecil Shorts hauled in a 20-yard pass and after a Robinson fumble was reversed, Bortles rolled out to his right and aired out a deep strike down field to Hurns for a 40-yard score.

Sherrod Martin dove in front of Sanu to pick off Dalton, giving the Jaguars the ball at their own 29 with under five minutes to play in the third. Jacksonville was forced to punt after its drive stalled at the Bengals' 43.

Adam Jones returned Bryan Anger's punt 31 yards to the Jaguars' 23 and it took Cincinnati just two plays to extend its lead. Hill ran five yards before Dalton connected with Green on an 18-yard score for a 26-10 lead early in the fourth.

Jacksonville opened the scoring with 1:21 remaining in the opening stanza after Josh Scobee capped a 10-play, 79-yard drive with a 25-yard field goal.

Cedric Peerman hauled in a short pass and moved the chains on third down with a 17-yard gain. After a pair of runs by Hill, Dalton found Sanu for a 19-yard score and a 7-3 lead just over three minutes into the second quarter.

Dalton aired out a 33-yard pass to Sanu, who made an over-the-shoulder catch to place the Bengals down at the Jaguars' 9. Cincinnati settled for a 31-yard Mike Nugent field goal with 4:25 remaining in the first half after Green had a 12-yard TD catch nullified for lining up offsides.

After Bortles was sacked by Carlos Dunlap for a loss of eight yards at the Jaguars' 11, Tyler Mays blocked Anger's punt and the ball flew out of bounds in the end zone for a safety and a 12-3 advantage.

Game Notes

The Bengals won their third straight game against the Jaguars ... Jacksonville hasn't won in Cincinnati since a 29-15 decision on Dec. 15, 2002 ... The Bengals outgained the Jaguars, 423-365 ... Jacksonville will face Dallas in London next Sunday ... Cincinnati will host Cleveland on Thursday ... The Bengals were 6-of-13 on third down, while the Jaguars finished 4-of-12.