THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS

BY ADAM GREENE

Try as hard as they might, the NFL schedulers putting together these early season NFL Network-only Thursday Night Football game gave us one we’d actually want to watch this week. The Jacksonville Jaguars, led by 2021 No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence try to pick up their first win against the suddenly feisty Cincinnati Bengals, led by 2020 No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow.

Cincinnati is angling for its best start since the 2015 season, a year they went 12-4, won the AFC North and made the playoffs. It was also the last time the Bengals enjoyed a winning season and appeared in the postseason. So this is legitimately a big game for them.

The Jaguars haven’t been winners since 2017, when they finished 10-6 in the regular season and made it all the way to the AFC Championship. It was their lone winning season since 2007. They’ve won a total of 12 games since and lost 39.

This will be the 24^th overall meeting between the two teams since Jacksonville entered the league in 1995. They’re old AFC Central foes and played each other twice a year until the AFC Central was disbanded in 2002 and the AFC North and South were born. The Jags hold a 13-10 lead in the all time series, but lost their match up last season, 33-25 as Joe Burrow threw for 300 yards, a touchdown and a pick and Joe Mixon rushed for 151 yards and two TDs.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (-7.5, O/U: 45.5)

Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Broadcast: NFL

Kickoff: Sep. 30, 8:20 p.m.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (0-3)

The Jags have been manhandled since the opening week when the Houston Texans delivered a 37-21 beat down. They got within 10 points of the Denver Broncos in Week 2, but were blown out again by the Arizona Cardinals last week in spite of leading that game 13-7 at halftime. They would fall 31-19.

Trevor Lawrence wasn’t bad, completing 22 of 34 for 219 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. James Robinson, who was supposed to be replaced by Travis Etienne before a season ending injury, rushed for 88 yards and touchdown. Their defense never laid a glove on Kyler Murray, but did pick him off once.

CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-1)

Cincinnati made a huge statement in a 24-10 TKO of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field Sunday. The Bengals sacked Ben Roethlisberger four times and picked him off twice. More importantly, Cincy’s own offensive line kept Joe Burrow’s uniform clean. He was not sacked once, breaking a 75 game sack streak for Pittsburgh.

Burrow threw the ball just 18 times, completing 14 for 172 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. Mixon had 18 rushes for 90 yards. J’Marr Chase is quickly making his case for Offensive Rookie of the Year, grabbing four passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns.

THE PICK

For Cincinnati, there should still be no guaranteed wins. No opponents that you take lightly. This franchise has been a dumpster fire for half a decade and before that, were consistent playoff losers. The Bengals haven’t won a playoff game since 1990. If all that is going to change, if head coach Zac Taylor and QB Joe Burrow are going to change it, then games like this should be dominated. I say they do it. Bengals 31, Jaguars 13

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