Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals Betting Preview
Thursday Night Football features an AFC battle of South versus North as the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) take on the Cincinnati Bengals (2-1). The Bengals will host this one at Paul Brown Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 8:20 pm ET.
The Jaguars have gotten off to a frustrating start as they have lost by at least 10 points in each of their first three games. Last weekend, it was a 31-19 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at home. In the loss, Trevor Lawrence threw for 219 yards and a touchdown, but he also had two interceptions.
After losing to the Chicago Bears in Week 2, the Bengals bounced back last week with a 24-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the win, Joe Burrow threw for 172 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.
Rookie Ja’Marr Chase pulled down two of the touchdown receptions.
The Bengals are the favorites playing at home. They are -320 to win while the Jaguars’ moneyline sits at +260. The spread features Jacksonville +7.5 (-115), and the over/under for total points is 46.5.
More Odds
In what should be a very competitive AFC North, the Bengals are +1100 to win the division, tied for the third-best overall odds. The Jaguars have the worst odds to win the AFC South at +3500.
Neither of these teams are expected to be competitive when it comes to the Super Bowl. The Bengals are +12000 to win Super Bowl LVI while the Jaguars are +100000.
By The Numbers
Jacksonville comes in winless in their last ten games, and they are 1-6 against the spread in their last seven. Against the Bengals, they are 2-5 in their last seven matchups.
While the Bengals are 5-10 in their last 15 games overall, they are a strong 6-2 against the spread in their last eight at Paul Brown Stadium.
Jacksonville Looking To Pick Up First Win
After having the worst record in the NFL last week, no one expected the Jaguars to all of a sudden turn into a postseason contender this year. Still, new coach Urban Meyer and quarterback Trevor Lawrence are looking to pick up their first win in the NFL Thursday night.
Speaking of Lawrence, he has thrown for 669 yards, five touchdowns, and seven interceptions thus far this season. He has also rushed nine times for 46 yards.
His leading receivers have been Marvin Jones Jr. (17 receptions, 194 yards, two touchdowns) and DJ Chark Jr. (seven receptions, 154 yards, two touchdowns).
One thing that Jacksonville has to do better is taking care of the ball. Currently, they rank last in turnovers as they have nine through three games.
In terms of their defense, the Jaguars rank 28th in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 30.3 points per game.
Bengals Hope To Stay Atop Of AFC North
Three games into the season, no one would have anticipated that the Bengals would be tied for the AFC North, but a solid three weeks has put them in that exact spot.
Part of their success is due to a healthy Joe Burrow. On the season, he has thrown for 640 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions.
It has been noticeable the history and rapport that Burrow and rookie Ja’Marr Chase have. Former LSU teammates, the two have been lethal early on. Chase now has 11 receptions for 220 yards and four touchdowns.
On the ground, Joe Mixon leads the Bengals with 67 rushes for 286 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Bengals rank sixth in scoring defense, allowing 18 points per game.
Take Cincinnati To Win And Cover
After losing him midway through the season last year, it is amazing the impact that second-year quarterback Joe Burrow has made early on for the Bengals.
It is worth noting that he is still just making his 14th start in the NFL, so he is prone to letdowns like he had in Week 2 against the Bears.
While the Jaguars have shown flashes of improvement, they still struggle on both sides of the ball. Granted, Thursday night matchups come with a bit more volatility, but the Bengals to win and cover is still the smart bet in this one.
Take Cincinnati +7.5.
