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The Jacksonville Jaguars will face off against the Cincinnati Bengals to kick off Week 4. It's time to continue our NFL odds series and make a Jaguars-Bengals prediction and pick.
The Jaguars enter this game as one of the few winless teams left in the league. New head coach Urban Meyer has been a complete disaster and rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence hasn't been much better. There's plenty of time to turn things around in Jacksonville, and that could start on Thursday night in Lawrence's first prime-time appearance of his career. The Bengals are coming off of a shocking upset win against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, a victory that tied them for first place in the AFC North. Cincinnati has looked shaky overall to start the year, but a win here could help steady the ship for head coach Zac Taylor.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the lines for Thursday's game.
NFL Odds: Jaguars-Bengals Odds
Jacksonville Jaguars +7 1/2 (-119)
Cincinnati Bengals -7 1/2 (-101)
Over 45 1/2 points (-120)
Under 45 1/2 points (+100)
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Why The Jaguars Could Cover The Spread
Despite eventually falling to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, the Jaguars showed some impressive improvement in that contest. Jacksonville managed to hang around for most of the game, primarily because of their defense. The Jags defense held Arizona to seven points in the first half before finally giving ground in the second half. Defensive coordinator Joe Cullen's unit has shown steady improvement over the course of the season, and now they get to face a Bengals offense that struggles to protect the passer and commits plenty of turnovers.
This is around the time of year when injuries start to become a concern around the NFL, and the Bengals are far from immune. Cincinnati has several players who missed practice to begin the week, including star safety Jessie Bates, starting cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, and starting receiver Tee Higgins. It's certainly possible that the short week forces these guys out of action in this one. Jacksonville is pretty much completely healthy, so they should be able to take advantage of a weakened Bengals squad that could be missing their best player.
Why The Bengals Could Cover The Spread
Cincinnati isn't exactly known as a top-notch defense, but they should be able to hold their own against this underperforming Jags team. Jacksonville hasn't managed more than 21 points in any of their first three contests, and they only managed to reach 21 against the lowly Houston Texans. Trevor Lawrence has thrown multiple interceptions in every start he's made, and the Jags seemed to be totally incapable of running the football until Week 3. This underrated Bengals defense should fare very well against an inept Jaguars team that can't get out of its own way.
The media is quick to jump on quarterbacks who have a bad game, and that's exactly what happened with Cincinnati signal-caller Joe Burrow. Burrow was horrendous in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears, tossing three consecutive interceptions that torpedoed any chance of a Bengals win. But when we look past those three poor decisions, Burrow has been fantastic. The former LSU Tiger has been extremely efficient and accurate, earning one of the league's best completion percentages. He tore up the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3, throwing only four incomplete passes and three touchdowns. Jacksonville allowed monster passing days to the likes of Tyrod Taylor and Teddy Bridgewater, so this is an obviously great matchup for Burrow and the Cincinnati offense.
Final Jaguars-Bengals Prediction & Pick
This game shouldn't be particularly close. Cincinnati is playing at home against a rookie head coach/quarterback duo that has looked completely out of sorts throughout their first three contests. This is also Lawrence's first appearance on national TV in the NFL, putting plenty more pressure on his shoulders here. Take the Bengals with confidence.
FINAL PICK: Cincinnati Bengals -7.5 (-101)
