Cincinnati Bengals vs Jacksonville Jaguars: This Week 2 matchup features a pair of 1-0 teams looking to keep the momentum rolling. Granted, one organization can feel much better about its win than the other. The Cincinnati Bengals were fortunate to escape Cleveland with a 17-16 victory, while the Jacksonville Jaguars controlled their game against Carolina from start to finish.
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Cincinnati Bengals vs Jacksonville Jaguars NFL Betting Insights
Trevor Lawrence is looking to get the Jaguars to 2-0 to start the season.
Brutal Bengals: Head Coach Zac Taylor tried to flip the script this season by giving his starters preseason snaps. The move was understandable – in his six years, the Bengals have just one combined win in Weeks 1 and 2, the worst mark in the NFL. Last year they opened with three straight losses before finishing 9-8 and missing the playoffs.
Sure, they opened this season with a win, but the process along the way was downright ugly and lucky.
Joe Burrow completed only 14 of 23 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Ja’Marr Chase was held to two catches for 26 yards, and Chase Brown managed just 43 yards on 21 carries.
Fantasy players and bettors alike were left baffled at how ineffective this offense looked.
If you looked at this stat sheet without seeing any scoring numbers, you would also be astonished. And when you dig into the box score, it becomes even clearer just how lopsided the game really was:
- Total Plays: CLE (71) | CIN (49)
- Total Yards: CLE (327) | CIN (141)
- Yards per Play: CLE (4.6) | CIN (2.9)
- 1st Downs: CLE (22) | CIN (11)
It’s remarkable Cincinnati managed to come away with the win despite being dominated in nearly every category.
Jags in Control: In Week 1, the betting market showed late confidence in Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars, moving the line from -2.5 to -4.5. Jacksonville rewarded those backers with a comfortable win and cover over Carolina.
Lawrence wasn’t spectacular, but he didn’t need to be. He went 19-of-31 for 178 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while Travis Etienne carried the load. The running back ripped off 143 yards on just 16 carries, averaging 8.9 yards per attempt, and set the tone all afternoon.
Defensively, the Jaguars held Bryce Young and the Panthers’ offense to just 255 total yards at 4.2 yards per play.
Ultimately, while Week 1 was a solid statement win, I see it more as a reflection of Carolina’s shortcomings than Jacksonville’s dominance.
How to Bet this Game: Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange is a player to monitor for this game. There was some offseason chatter about him being a sneaky fantasy asset, and he flashed some of that upside in Week 1 with four catches for 59 yards.
Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but they’re encouraging – and now he gets a matchup against a Bengals defense that surrendered 6.5 receptions and 65.5 yards per game to opposing tight ends last season. Strange could easily build on that opener and eclipse his receiving yards prop of 33.5.
On the side, the market has already trimmed Cincinnati from -5.5 to -3.5. Bettors need to be cautious with recency bias – no team is ever as good or as bad as it looked the week before. This appears to be an overreaction to their Week 1 results.
The Bengals weren’t pretty in Cleveland, but beating a division rival on the road still matters, and I expect Joe Burrow and the offense to improve quickly. While Jacksonville is headed in the right direction, that Week 1 win looked more like a byproduct of Carolina’s inefficiency than a true breakout.
If I had to lean right now, I’d look to Cincinnati covering the -3.5. Still, I’m holding off to see if more money comes in on the Jaguars, which could deliver an even better number on the Bengals.
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