The Cincinnati Bengals‘ one primetime game for the 2021 season takes place against the Jaguars on Thursday Night Football in Week 4. This game appeared at No. 1 on Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports’ list of the most under-the-radar games on the 2021 schedule.
The easiest storyline to point to with this game is that it’ll pit Joe Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, against Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. These two guys also were the quarterbacks in the National Championship Game of the 2019 college football season with Burrow’s LSU Tigers taking down Lawrence’s Clemson Tigers.
DeArdo offered this analysis as to why he had this game No. 1 on his list of under-the-radar games:
"While Lawrence is hoping to make an early splash in Jacksonville, Burrow is looking to pick up where he left off following a successful start to his rookie season. Burrow led the NFL in passing before a knee injury in Week 11 prematurely ended his season."
The Bengals’ Week 4 primetime battle against the Jaguars should be fun.
Quarterbacks rule the roost in the NFL and that’s why Bengals vs Jaguars is so compelling. It’ll give non-Bengals fans and non-Jaguars fans a chance to see what the future of the league looks like, as these are the last two No. 1 overall picks and the futures of their respective franchises.
The last time Burrow and Lawrence went head-to-head was in college when Burrow won the battle. Things are a lot different this time around though, as neither guy has anywhere close to the supporting cast that they had at their respective colleges. Burrow has Ja’Marr Chase at his disposal now though while Lawrence is going to be joined in Jacksonville by Clemson teammate Travis Etienne.
The NFL was smart to put this game in primetime because it is giving us a battle of former No. 1 overall picks and a rematch of that title game. Bengals fans are hoping Burrow reigns supreme again this time around and that he continues to show why he was the right pick at No. 1 overall a year ago.