Predicting the outcome of all 3 AFC north games in Week 4
The Cincinnati Bengals are in search of their first win in 2020. They get their most favorable match yet, in Week 4 against the Jaguars.
Neither of these teams are contenders this year or next. The Bengals have so much going wrong on their roster. The offensive line is a wreck. The secondary is filled with holes. The at one time elite, defensive line is aging. The Jaguars don’t have an identity past Gardner Minshew. They don’t have a guy to go to on offense to consistently turn out production against top tier teams. The defense is a far cry from the 2017 squad that dominated opposing competition. These teams both have a wealth of issues and are not much of competition for our Steelers.
The Bengals have a bright spot that is likely going to have a place in the league for a long time. Joe Burrow is already my rookie of the year. He is throwing to Tyler Boyd, rookie Tee Higgins, and AJ Green, who has dealt with countless injuries. Burrow is making plays. He is dealing with probably the worst offensive line in football. Yet, Joe Burrow is top 10 in passing yards and top 15 in passing touchdowns. He has to deal with a lot of drops from a Bengals receiving group that is really holding him back. Burrow is a leader and he has the ability to take that franchise in the right direction.
The Jaguars are boasting their own young talent at QB in Gardner Minshew. Minshew has fewer yards and more interceptions than Burrow, but Minshew has more passing touchdowns. Minshew was a pleasant surprise that showed enough for the Jaguars to move off of former super bowl MVP Nick Foles. They have budding stars in DJ Chark and Josh Allen along with rookie James Robinson who has been another pleasant surprise this season for the Jaguars. The team still needs to find their identity. I like some of the pieces Jacksonville has been adding, but they are nowhere near a finished product on either side of the ball.
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Burrow is going to be the difference for the Bengals this week. He has done everything in his power to bring wins to that fan base and has kept them competitive in games that the Bengals had no right to come as close as they have to winning. I expect Burrow to finally get his first win NFL win in Week 4 against an underwhelming Jaguars squad.
My final score prediction: 27-21, in favor of Cincinnati.