The Cincinnati Bengals won their last game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium in Week 2 of last season. Unfortunately, it was the Pyrrhic victory to end all Pyrrhic victories.
Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury that afternoon. Cincinnati's win and 2-0 start felt hollow. The Jaguars would go on to win 13 games and the AFC South title, while the Bengals managed only four wins the rest of the season.
With a much better defense this time around, and a healthy Burrow for 60 minutes, the Bengals should be in prime position to bounce back from Week 3's disappointing loss in Pittsburgh.
How to watch Bengals vs. Jaguars Week 4 matchup
- Time: 1.p.m. ET
- TV Network: CBS
- Streaming: NFL+ (NFL app or via browser) / NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV
- International: DAZN Game Pass
Bengals vs. Jaguars injury updates in Week 4
The big news heading into Sunday is that Cincinnati safety Kyle Dugger and wideout Colbie Young were already ruled out. Players questionable for the Bengals include starters Bryan Cook and Dalton Risner. Defensive tackle B.J. Hill's Achilles is still bothering him. Don't think he'll play.
As for the Jaguars, they're a little beat up at cornerback, with frequent player Montaric Brown and reserve Christian Braswell listed as questionable. However, that just furthers the notion that Travis Hunter could be poised to make a massive impact.
Storylines to watch for Bengals in Week 4
- Can Cincinnati stop self-destructing?
- Does Al Golden have the horses to out-scheme Liam Coen?
- How might Dalton Risner's injury impacts the Bengals' offensive line?
- Joe Burrow could expose the Jags defense as semi-fraudulent
Only four teams have a higher per-game penalty rate than the Bengals at 8.3. That's a staggering amount of avoidable blunders. Whether it's procedural penalties on offense, special teams disasters, or untimely defensive flags, this is usually a strength of Zac Taylor's teams.
Meanwhile, the Jags are tied for the fewest average penalties per game with only five, and rank third-fewest in yards (40.3).
Beyond penalties and the turnover margin, the next two most important factors in deciding any given football game are third down and red zone execution. Jacksonville has the third-best third down defense; Cincinnati is tied for 21st.
As for the red zone, the Bengals have converted four of eight trips for touchdowns. The Jags have been successful on eight of nine attempts for TDs.
Saying all that to say, with all the injuries to the Bengals' defense, it's gonna be hard for defensive coordinator Al Golden to outfox Liam Coen in high-leverage moments. The macro stats on third down and the red zone certainly don't put my mind at ease.
Speaking of feeling uneasy, while I do have confidence that Jacob Bayer could step in for Dalton Risner if called up, Bayer has taken zero snaps at right guard in the NFL. And do not even come at me with anything to do with Jalen Rivers lining up there. No chance.
Some silver linings: Joe Burrow is HIM. He has Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to throw to. The Bengals will be eager to prove themselves after a loss.
Yes, the Jaguars have the No. 1 scoring defense (12 points per game allowed), but think about who they've played thus far QB-wise: Deshaun Watson, Bo Nix, and Drake Maye. The fact that Watson looks the best on the field (let's be very clear about that, on the field) out of that trio through three games is quite something, isn't it? Who would've thought?
I mean yes, in our FanSided NFL division vote on the most overrated player in the NFL, I said Bo Nix. Dude is having a Tebow Time moment right now with that 80.3 passer rating and incessant, annoying fourth-quarter comebacks. And Drake "The Schedule" Maye is living up to his moniker.
Anyway, Burrow played brilliantly against the Steelers before losing a fumble on his last play from scrimmage. I think he'll have a little something extra for Jacksonville at Paycor Stadium.
Final score prediction
- Bengals 31, Jaguars 30
I probably overreacted to the Steelers loss by predicting the Bengals to lose 34-30 in a recent piece. I believe the defense has just enough dudes and can feed off the home crowd well enough to at least produce a couple takeaways and help Burrow win in a shootout.
When all is said and done, I'm still sticking to Cincinnati going on a 3-1 run before Madrid's matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, who suddenly look a lot better with Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback.
Anyway, WHO DEY. Let's bounce back today. Can't bring myself to believe this Bengals team is only going to be .500 through four games. The injuries could make that a reality, but even still, they feel like too good of a squad to let that happen. And Burrow certainly will do everything in his power to prevent that reality from coming to fruition.
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