Jaguars vs. Bengals: TNF betting odds, preview, and pick

This year's No. 1 overall draft pick, Trevor Lawrence, will go head-to-head with 2020 top draft selection, Joe Burrow, when the 0-3 Jacksonville Jaguars battle the 2-1 Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football.

The last time these two quarterbacks met was in the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2020. Burrow and his LSU Tigers won that showdown, 42-25, and handed Lawrence his first collegiate loss as Clemson's starter.

Turnovers plague Lawrence in Jaguars' 18th straight loss

Lawrence's rematch with Burrow is unlikely to go much smoother than that national title game.

In Week 3, Jacksonville endured its third straight loss of the season to extend the franchise's losing streak to 18 games, dating back to September 2020.

In Sunday's 31-19 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals, the Jaguars hung tight for most of the game and gained their first halftime lead of the season by returning a short field goal 109 yards for a touchdown.

Jacksonville maintained the lead until 24 seconds left in the third quarter, when Lawrence had an interception returned for a touchdown to put the Cardinals up 24-19.

Lawrence finished with 219 yards on 22-of-34 passing, threw one touchdown, was picked off twice, lost two fumbles, and was sacked three times.

Through three games, he has recorded seven interceptions and is on pace to throw 40 for the season. 

Lawrence also joined Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman as the only quarterbacks in the last 40 seasons to throw two or more interceptions in each of the first three weeks of their rookie year. 

In addition to the turnover woes, Jacksonville has issues on special teams. Kicker Josh Lambo missed two extra points on Sunday, after he missed a pair of field goals in last Sunday's loss to Denver.

Burrow-Chase connection shines in win over Pittsburgh

While Jacksonville is trying to find its footing on offense, the Bengals appear to be hitting their stride on that side of the ball.

In Sunday's 24-10 win against AFC North rival Pittsburgh, Burrow completed 14 of 18 passes for 172 yards and racked up three touchdown passes, two of which were caught by former LSU teammate Ja'Marr Chase.

The 2021 fifth overall draft pick led the team with 65 receiving yards and became the youngest player in NFL history to collect four receiving touchdowns in his team's first three games. Randy Moss previously held the record.

Chase is also the only player in the Super Bowl era to record a 30-yard touchdown reception in each of his first three career games.

The 21-year-old receiver is tied for the second-most touchdown catches in the league, behind only Los Angeles Rams wideout Cooper Kupp (5).

Burrow is in a five-way tie for the fifth-most touchdown passes and ranks ninth in yards per pass attempt (8.5).

The second-year quarterback also enjoyed his first game of the season without a sack, but he had the benefit of facing a Steelers defense missing linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

Those absences contributed to the end of Pittsburgh's streak of 75 straight games with a sack (an NFL record) on Sunday.

On the flip side, Cincinnati sacked Ben Roethlisberger four times and intercepted him twice, as the Steelers' already-shoddy offensive line lost center Kendrick Green and right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor to injuries in the second half.

Jaguars and Bengals trends

• Jacksonville is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games vs. the AFC
• Cincinnati is 4-1 ATS in its last five Thursday games
• Cincinnati is 5-2 ATS in its last seven home games
• The Over is 11-4-1 in the Bengals’ last 16 games vs. the AFC
• The Under is 5-2-1 in the Bengals’ last eight games overall
• The favorite is 3-0-1 ATS in the last four meetings

Burrow will best Lawrence in rematch

The Bengals currently sit in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC North and face a sub-.500 opponent for the fourth straight week.

While both teams' defenses rank in the bottom two in sacks and hurry percentage, Cincinnati will get after Lawrence and keep the Jaguars from reaching the end zone enough times to stay in this game.

The Bengals rank seventh in scoring defense (18 points per game), compared to Jacksonville's 30.3 points surrendered (28th worst in the league).

Cincinnati also ranks eighth in opponent yards per game and rushing yards allowed, and 11th in takeaways per game (1.3).

Jacksonville is dead last in giveaways per contest (3).

In the battle of two young guns, the older quarterback will reign supreme. The Bengals will win the turnover battle and pick apart Jacksonville's porous defense, as Burrow takes down Lawrence for the second time in his career. 

Score prediction: Bengals 27, Jaguars 17

Week 4 NFL pick: Bengals -7.5