Bengals vs. Jaguars Point Spread: NFL Week 13 Odds, Prediction
A season-ending injury to Joe Burrow has somewhat ruined what would have been an excellent matchup of former No. 1 overall draft pick quarterbacks on Monday night to conclude Week 13 around the NFL as the Cincinnati Bengals visit Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville is an 8.5-point favourite to win on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Playing on Monday night is a big deal for the Jaguars franchise because it has done so infrequently over the years because the franchise has been so downtrodden/nationally anonymous. Jacksonville has never reached a Super Bowl and only recently got its first Hall of Famer in offensive tackle Tony Boselli. The franchise is definitely on the rise with former No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence now arguably a Top 10 QB in the league.
T-Law went first in the 2021 draft, a year after Cincinnati took Joe Burrow first in 2020. He’s a Top 5 QB in the NFL but lost for the season in Week 11 due to injury – already Burrow’s second career season-ending injury. Lawerence, on the other hand, has been very durable. This game would have had some playoff ramifications if Burrow were healthy but it’s highly unlikely the Bengals are in the wild card mix now. The AFC South is Jacksonville’s to lose.
Jacksonville leads the all-time series 13-11 but lost the last matchup 24-21 in Cincinnati on a Thursday night early in the 2021 season. Burrow threw the tying TD pass about midway through the fourth quarter, and Evan McPherson won it on a 35-yard field goal as time expired. Burrow threw for two scores, while Lawrence rushed for one.
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati’s season, at least in regard to making the playoffs again, basically ended in Week 11 when it was routed in Baltimore and Joe Burrow was lost for the season. How can the Bengals not have a better, more experienced backup behind Burrow, who takes a massive beating, than journeyman Jake Browning? He got his first start Sunday at home vs. Pittsburgh and it went about as well as expected in a 16-10 loss. Browning finished 19 for 26 for 227 yards and threw an interception in the red zone. The Bengals were 2-for-10 on third down and managed just 222 yards of total offence. Tailback Joe Mixon had eight carries for 16 yards, his lowest total since Week 7 of the 2019 season, when he had two yards in a 27-17 loss to the Jaguars. All of Mixon’s carries on Sunday came on first or second down. No. 2 WR Tee Higgins was out again with a hamstring injury, but pass rusher Sam Hubbard return from injury.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars probably won the AFC South on Sunday with a thrilling 24-21 win at rising Houston to avenge a 37-17 home loss to CJ Stroud and the Texans in Week 3. Now the Jags are up two on the Texans and I’m not sure Jacksonville will even lose more than two times the rest of the way. The team also improved to 6-0 away from home, including two wins in London. “Our guys are learning how finish,” Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson said. This might be the team’s time of the year as from Week 12 on last season, the Jaguars went 6-1 and then rallied from 27 points down to beat the Chargers in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Starting left tackle Cam Robinson left Sunday’s game with a knee injury in the first quarter and has landed on injured reserve. The earliest Robinson could return would be the Dec. 31 home game against the Carolina Panthers. Third-year Walker Little will take over as the starting left tackle. Ezra Cleveland, whom the Jaguars acquired via trade not that long ago, will now start at left guard. Not too often you see Jacksonville as this big of a favourite because it has been so bad for so long. The Jags last were at least 8-point favourites back in 2018 at home vs. Tennessee and lost outright.
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