Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cincinnati Bengals Betting Preview: Improving Bengals Should Brush Aside Jaguars on TNF

Tonight’s Thursday Night Football matchup is another one that is not going to excite diehard NFL fans, as the Bengals host the Jaguars. But for NFL betting purposes, there are a lot of reasons to pay attention to tonight’s tilt in Cincinnati.

Jacksonville has yet to win a game this season, and it is hard to see that changing on the road against a competent Cincinnati team.

The Bengals are keeping pace in the AFC North. This is one they have to get to show they are moving forward as a franchise.

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) vs Cincinnati Bengals (2-1), NFL Network, 8:20 PM ET

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cincinnati Bengals NFL Betting Odds

Moneyline

• Jacksonville Jaguars +265
• Cincinnati Bengals -345

Total

• OVER 46 (-110)
• UNDER 46 (-110)

Spread

• Jacksonville Jaguars +7.5 (-110)
• Cincinnati Bengals -7.5 (-110)

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cincinnati Bengals odds are via BetOnline Sportsbook as of Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 10:31 a.m. ET. Want to see NFL betting odds from several top online sportsbooks for every NFL matchup throughout the season? Check out our NFL odds.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cincinnati Bengals NFL Betting Consensus

Moneyline

• 0% Jacksonville Jaguars
• 100% Cincinnati Bengals

Total (at O/U 46)

• 40% OVER 46
• 60% UNDER 46

Spread (at +/-7.5)

• 40% Jacksonville Jaguars +7.5
• 60% Cincinnati Bengals -7.5

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cincinnati Bengals Matchup: NFL Betting Picks, Odds, Stats and More

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cincinnati Bengals Betting Outlook

I am definitely in the camp that thinks that Urban Meyer is not going to have success as an NFL coach. So far he is 0-3 SU and ATS and leading the league in “what are you doing?” moments. Since they couldn’t beat the Texans on the road in the opener it is hard to see a win on their schedule until Houston comes to Jacksonville in December. Rookie QB Trevor Lawrence has played like one this season. He has yet to have a game where he didn’t throw multiple interceptions and until that happens this offense is going to struggle. They are just not good enough in other areas to overcome that.

The defense tried to improve over the offseason but they are near the bottom of the league in most categories. The most concerning for this matchup is that they are allowing more than 300ypg passing because that is definitely the way that Cincinnati is going to attack them. Joe Burrow is not as mobile as some other quarterbacks they have faced recently but he is good at getting the ball to his playmakers. This is another bad matchup for the Jags.

Bengals Look Good To Add to Strong Start

The Bengals won their opening game against the Vikings in overtime and then lost to the Bears on the road. Last week they turned some heads by beating Pittsburgh 24-10 on the road, though that Steelers team just might not be any good. Either way, Cincinnati starts Week 4 tied with Baltimore and Cleveland atop the AFC North and that is without Joe Burrow playing all that well. Burrow may be completing 70% of his passes but he has yet to throw for even 275 yards in a game this season. He has rekindled the connection he had with Ja’Marr Chase at LSU, hooking up with the rookie 4 times on TD passes already. The offense can be better and facing Jacksonville should help.

Cincinnati has been much better on defense this season which is why they have not had to ask Burrow to do too much. They are 6th in points allowed and 8th in yards. Those numbers have been helped by playing the lame offenses of Chicago and Pittsburgh but they get to face another one this week so why should things be any different. Cincinnati looks like they have graduated to being a team that is winning the games they are supposed to, but we need more evidence.

NFL Betting Trends to Consider for Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cincinnati Bengals

• Jacksonville is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games after accumulating more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game.
• The Jaguars are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games on FieldTurf.
• The Jaguars are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game.
• Cincinnati is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games in Week 4.
• The Bengals are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
• The Bengals are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cincinnati Bengals Best Bet

Cincinnati -7.5

Is it just me or are there more games lined at 7.5 this season than normal? There is so much more to like about Cincinnati but it still feels a little unnatural for them to be such heavy home favorites, even if it is against the Jags. What it comes down to is that I have much more confidence in Burrow to move the ball without making mistakes against Jacksonville than I do for Lawrence to do the same against the Bengals. I am not sure if I buy Cincinnati as improved on defense but the cracks are unlikely to show on Thursday night.

Prop Watch: Trevor Lawrence Over 250.5 Yards Passing (-110)

Lawrence has only gone over this number once this season, in the opener. He is going to make some mistakes but with the team likely losing all game long there will be lots of opportunities to air it out. He is averaging almost 40 attempts per game and they don’t seem to be worried about his confidence so take advantage of some incremental improvement with this prop.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cincinnati Bengals Score Prediction

Cincinnati Bengals 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 20