Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cincinnati Bengals Prediction & Betting Tips - NFL

Prediction published on 02/12/2023, 20:00  by Matthew Newman in NFL Predictions

Monday Night Football will see the 5-6 Cincinnati Bengals travelling to Florida to take on the 8-3 Jacksonville Jaguars. A prime time game for the Bengals without their injured star quarterback, Joe Burrow, is a big ask and taking on one of the most improved teams in the NFL in the last 12 months is going to be a very serious test for them. Backup quarterback, Jake Browning has been nursing a wrist injury himself, so Bengals fans will have a nervy wait to see how far down the depth chart, the Bengals will have to go to find a quarterback. Things have been a struggle for them on both sides of the ball this season, only the Chargers defence have given up more yards per game than the Bengals 389. Only four teams take more field goal attempts per game than the Jaguars, the Bengals need to restrict their opponents to that on a regular basis to have any hope of leaving Florida with a win.

The Jaguars have been better on the road this season rather than at home, 5-0 when away vs 3-3 when playing at EverBank Stadium. In their defence, two of those losses came against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers who are also a Super Bowl contender. Their defeat at home to the Houston Texans was a little disappointing but they gained revenge last week in the Lone Star State. A balanced attack has been the order of the day for Jacksonville, 12 rushing touchdowns and 12 through the air shows a team who are able to adapt to what the defence are showing them and pick up the yards they need. If the Jags can stop the Bengals run game, they will be hard to beat. The run game is the Bengals strength and without Burrow they might run more than ever. The Jags have been excellent at stopping the run so far this season so this looks one of the keys to the game.