Our Thursday night total cashed in Baltimore and we’ll look to continue a winning week with NFL picks from the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Bengals QB Andy Dalton was 21 of 33 for 179 yards with two touchdowns when he faced the Jaguars in 2011
The Cincinnati Bengals face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4 NFL betting action and online sportsbooks favor the road squad -2.5 with a posted total of 43.5. The sports betting public are putting pressure on the side but in today’s NFL best bet, we preview the game and offer an Over/Under pick to consider.
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The Bengals are playing their third road game in four weeks and that can be a lot for some teams but Cinci is 2-1 to start and with four of its next five games at home, can put itself into a great position with a win at Jacksonville.
Last season the Bengals came away with a 30-20 win in a Week 5 stop in Florida but statistically it was not one of their stronger games. Andy Dalton completed 21 of 33 pass attempts for 179 yards and Cedric Benson couldn’t find the hole against a Jaguars defense that surprisingly finished top 10 in rushing yards against (104 YPG).
Back-to-back games against Adrian Peterson (Vikings) and Arian Foster (Texans) to start the season can humble even the stoutest rush D’s and this year the Jags were no exception, giving up 339 yards of real estate in the two losses. But last Sunday even the Colts, who are 24th in rushing (90 RYPG) racked up 124 yards on the ground.
Donald Brown led the way with 62 yards and Andrew Luck (50 yards) was close behind. Brown also gained 39 yards as a checkdown receiver and by keeping the Jags off-balance, Indy managed 313 passing yards in the 22-17 loss.
Expect Cinci to use the same approach, with a 50-50 split between rushing and pass attempts. The Bengals are making good use out of BenJarvus Green-Ellis with 19 carries per game and it’s helped take some of the pressure off Andy Dalton, who was sacked 10 times his first two games against the Ravens and Browns.
There’s no question what Jacksonville will do on offense, pounding Maurice Jones-Drew against a run-stop unit that’s given up 155 yards through three weeks. The problem for Jacksonville is that Blaine Gabbert is getting little to no time in the pocket when he drops back to pass and that’s going to give the Bengals freedom to bring an extra man in the box for nearly every down.
Cincinnati’s defense will try to make amends for its weak performance last week (213 rushing yards against) and the Jags passing game doesn’t scare anyone. It’s going to be a 60-minute slugfest down in the pits and we expect the Bengals to come out on top but our top play is on the total.
Pick: Take the Under