Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals Betting Preview/Player Prop

Week 4 of the NFL season kicks off on Thursday night with the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both teams come into this season with young quarterbacks leading the offense, but that’s about the only similarities between the two teams.

Jacksonville comes into this game with a record of 0-3, and they are losing games by an average of 13 points per game. The Jaguars were the worst team in the NFL a season ago, and they look to be on a similar path again this season.

Cincinnati is just three points away from a perfect 3-0 record to begin the season, but 2-1 is still a great start. The Bengals were hoping to be competitive in the AFC North Division this season, and they are on the right track.

The Cincinnati Bengals are 7.5-point favorites over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football.

Jaguars Can’t Score

Jacksonville is averaging just 17 points per game this season, and rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence has really struggled. Head coach Urban Meyer was a great offensive coach in college, but he hasn’t found the same success so far in the NFL.

Lawrence has thrown five touchdowns this season, but he has also thrown seven interceptions. There are some talented receivers on this Jaguars roster, but they need their quarterback to make better decisions.

Running back James Robinson burst onto the scene a season ago, but he has just 160 yards and one touchdown this season. Getting Robinson involved is a key for the Bengals, but he will also be trying to run against a great defense.

Cincinnati Controlling the Run

The Cincinnati Bengals are allowing just 78 rushing yards per game this season, and that has allowed the secondary to be solid as well. Cincinnati is facing a team that doesn’t always move the ball well, and that defense could put up a low number in this game.

Quarterback Joe Burrow has thrown for 640 yards and seven touchdowns this season, but he did throw three interceptions in the lone loss. Burrow has the ability to light up the scoreboard if he is playing well, and that could happen in this one.

If the Bengals are able to get an early lead, then they will lean heavily on running back Joe Mixon. Mixon has racked up 286 yards and one touchdown this year, but he can take over a game.

Cincinnati Cruises to Third Win

Things just simply haven’t gone very well for the Jacksonville Jaguars so far this season, and they aren’t going to find much success on the road in Cincinnati. The Jaguars are still a year or two away from really turning this thing around, and they are playing a team that has already gotten past that step.

Cincinnati is solid on both sides of the ball, and they should have little trouble taking control of this game. The Bengals should have a big day on offense, and the defense will take care of the rest.

Bet the Cincinnati Bengals -7.5 over the Jacksonville Jaguars as the home team moves to 3-1 with another solid performance.

Player Prop

Joe Burrow (-225) Over 1.5 Passing TDs

The last time Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence faced each other, it was the 2019 CFP National Championship. And it was Burrow who got the best of that matchup as he completed 31-of-49 for 463 yards and 5 TDs to lead LSU to a 42-25 win and the title.

Burrow went on to be the No. 1 pick of the Bengals in the following draft and put together a strong rookie season – 2,688 passing yards, 13 TDs, 5 INTs – before it ended in Week 11 with a torn ACL and MCL.

The Cincinnati QB has already faced some adversity in his comeback as he struggled in a Week 2 loss to the Bears as he was intercepted three times. But he bounced back strong in last week’s upset road win at Pittsburgh with 3 TD passes and a 77.8 percent completion rating.

Ironically, Burrow's first win as a pro came last year in Week 4 against these same Jaguars as he threw for 300 yards in a 33-25 victory.

We’ll take Burrow (-225) to have another big night against Lawrence and the Jags in a primetime matchup and go over 1.5 passing TDs.

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