The Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3, 0-1 away) look for their first win of the season on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals (2-1, 1-0 home) to kickoff Week 4 of NFL action. Jacksonville fell at home last week to the Arizona Cardinals, 31-19, and the Bengals picked up their second win of the season with a 24-10 triumph over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Thursday’s kickoff is at 8:20 p.m. EST inside Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. The Bengals are a 7.5-point favorite, and the total over-under is at 46 points.
What to Know – Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville tries to lock up their first victory of the season and first professional win for head coach Urban Meyer. The Jaguars led late into the third quarter against the Cardinals before a 14-point swing late in the quarter pushed the momentum into Arizona’s favor.
The Jaguars are scoring 17.7 points and posting 326.3 yards of total offense per game. Defensively, Jacksonville allows 30.3 points and 427.3 yards of offense to opposing teams.
Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence is struggling adjusting to play in the NFL. The #1 overall draft pick has thrown five touchdowns with seven interceptions and completing 54.2% of his passes, and Lawrence has thrown multiple interceptions in every game so far this season.
Wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. has been the rookie quarterback’s favorite target. Jones Jr. has hauled in 17 receptions for 194 yards and two touchdowns over the first three weeks of play.
What to Know – Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals aim to build off their momentum from last week and improve to 3-1 after the first month of the season. A win Thursday night would give the Bengals their best start since 2018, when they started 4-1.
Cincinnati averages 318.0 yards and scores 22.7 points per game on offense. The defense is holding opponents to 18.0 points, the sixth-best in the league, and 343.7 yards of offense per game.
Outside of throwing three consecutive interceptions against the Bears, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow looks to be rounding into a solid passer and leader of the offense. The second-year signal-caller is completing 70.7% of his passes with seven touchdowns and just one interception on the other two games.
Cincinnati drafted Burrow’s LSU teammate in wideout Ja’Marr Chase and the relationship between the two is paying dividends. The rookie wide receiver leads the Bengals with 11 receptions for 220 yards and four touchdowns.
The Pick is In
We get a rematch of the 2020 College Football Championship when Burrow and Lawrence go at it in primetime on Thursday night. The two quarterbacks led their collegiate teams to the title match, with Burrow outdueling Lawrence for the title.
Jacksonville is desperate for a win, and this start is something Meyer isn’t used to, given his success at the collegiate level. The Jaguars played well last week and need to carry that play into Thursday night if they want to have a shot at earning that first ‘W.’
The Bengals will win, but Jacksonville continues to improve, and Lawrence cuts down on his turnovers and keeps it close.
Betting Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars +7.5
