Jaguars Earning Some Respect Before Bengals Battle

They were able to comfortably cruise to an important win to begin their new era. That affirmed a lot of the optimism that surrounded this team coming into the season. Still, they have plenty of work left to do moving forward.

While they were able to dominate Carolina practically wire to wire, their Week 1 performance could be seen as more of an indictment of the Panthers' capabilities than proof that this Jaguars team is to be taken seriously. That could change in Jacksonville's next game, as they take on a much more established opponent in the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jaguars slight underdogs in Week 2

For their second game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jacksonville Jaguars have been projected as slight underdogs. FanDuel has them at +152 on the moneyline, with 3.5 points in their favor on the spread.

Jacksonville's defense had a dominant showing in Week 1, forcing three turnovers while limiting Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers to just 10 points and under 260 total yards on the day. The Jaguars' offense wasn't quite as impressive, but they were able to rack up 200 rushing yards behind a renaissance game from Travis Etienne Jr.

Like Jacksonville, the Cincinnati Bengals were also able to start their 2025 campaign with a win, edging out the Cleveland Browns, 17-16. Their victory wasn't quite as convincing as the Jaguars'.

The Browns are expected to be basement-dwellers again this year, with their eyes set on the 2026 NFL Draft, when they'll have two first-round picks courtesy of Jacksonville. They showed why against Cincy, mustering just 16 points against a questionable defensive unit.

On the other side of the ball, Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and the rest of the Bengals' offense had difficulty moving the ball consistently versus a stingy unit led by perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Myles Garrett. The Jaguars' defense showed a lot of promise in Week 1, but they'll have to do a lot more before they're viewed as on the same level as the Browns'.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville's attack have a good opportunity to showcase their explosiveness against a shaky Cincinnati team. This Week 2 clash is projected to be a high-scoring affair, with the over/under tabbed at 49.5 points.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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