Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cincinnati Bengals Prediction and Picks - September 14, 2025
The Jaguars and Bengals will meet in Cincinnati for Week 2 of the NFL season, and we'll preview the lines and odds in our Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cincinnati Bengals prediction. Both teams left Week 1 of the season with a win–the Jaguars defeated the visiting Panthers 26-10, while the Bengals went on the road to beat the Browns 17-16. Kickoff for the Week 2 matchup is set for 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 14.
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Can Jags Build on Offensive Momentum?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in their first season under the new regime of general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen, the latter of whom spent 2024 as the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay. As the playcaller for a Bucs team that finished fifth in offensive EPA per play, the Jags expected–or at least hoped–that Cohen could elevate an offense that underperformed in 2024 under head coach Doug Pederson and coordinator Press Taylor. One game into the 2025 season, returns are promising.
Through the first half, everything looked easy for the Jags' offense. Their first drive lasted 16 plays, covering 87 yards before the team settled for a 35-yard field goal. Tight end Brenton Strange caught three passes for 49 yards on that drive alone, opening his first season as the team's bona fide TE1 on a strong note. The Jags' second drive lasted nine plays and went 35 yards before Hunter Long caught a touchdown from Trevor Lawrence on a play-action crossing route. Their third scoring drive, in the final two minutes of the half, went 91 yards in seven plays without Lawrence having to attempt a forward pass. Travis Etienne Jr. took a handoff on the Jaguars' 9-yard line for 71 yards, making a guy miss at the point of attack while also capitalizing on a great block from Strange coming across the formation. The drive ended with Brian Thomas Jr. taking a reverse nine yards into the endzone–untouched, with extra blockers in front of him–to put the Jags up 17-3.
It wasn't a perfect game, by any stretch – Lawrence missed a few open throws to Thomas Jr., and lost track of Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn on an intercepted throw to rookie receiver Travis Hunter. But it's a great start to a season that Jags fans entered with mixed expectations, and it should leave them feeling optimistic heading into Week 2.
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How will Bengals Follow Week 1 Win?
The Cincinnati Bengals entered the 2025 season with a reputation for failing to launch in September – they started 0-2 in 2022 and 2023, then regressed to starting 0-3 in 2024. Last Sunday's 17-16 road win over the Browns wasn't particularly decisive, but it's a road division win in a game that many fans and onlookers had assumed the Bengals–however good they'd be this season–would lose. Instead, the Bengals return home with a 1-0 record to host the Jaguars.
Cincinnati took the opening drive for a touchdown, covering 67 yards in 16 plays and overcoming multiple setbacks that could've ended the drive early. Chase Brown ran for a combined -1 yards on his first two carries, but an offsides penalty against Myles Garrett turned 3rd and 11 into 2nd and 6. A 10-yard run from Brown later in the drive was called back on an illegal formation penalty against Amarius Mims, but the offense gained 18 yards on their next three plays to move the sticks anyway. The drive ended with a five-yard touchdown from Brown, who finished the game with 43 yards on 21 carries – good for a 2.05 yards-per-carry average that was emblematic of the Bengals' day overall offensive performance. Joe Burrow finished the game with 113 passing yards, a 60.87 percent completion rate, and three sacks taken. Noah Fant led the team with four receptions, including Burrow's lone touchdown pass.
It was a good showing from the Bengals' defense in their first year under coordinator Al Golden. Trey Hendrickson and B.J. Hill finished the game with a TFL and a sack each, rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight led the team in solo (8) and total (10) tackles, and the group combined for six pass defenses and two interceptions against Browns quarterback Joe Flacco. Ideally, the Bengals won't rely on them to such an extent to secure a win against the Jaguars in Week 2.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cincinnati Bengals Pick
Spread Pick for Jaguars vs Bengals
- Cincinnati Bengals -3.5 (-105) (4 Units)
The Jaguars' offense looked plenty good enough to keep this game close, but I'd still take the Bengals to win outright–they're at home, and their defense figures to be a significant step up from what the Panthers deployed in Jacksonville last week. The Bengals' offense sleepwalked through a lot of their game in Cleveland, and I'd expect Burrow and his duo of well-compensated receivers to enter this game wanting to put on a stronger showing. The Browns' defense, led by Myles Garrett, always seems to give Cincy trouble. If they close half the gap between their Week 1 performance and their ceiling, they'll be a massive step up from a Panthers offense that spent Week 1 struggling to do much beyond jam the ball into Tetairoa McMillan's hands.
Over/Under Pick for Jaguars vs Bengals
- Under 49.0 (-110) (4 Units)
The Team Total Over didn't hit in either of these teams' Week 1 games, and I don't expect either offense to shift multiple gears up from where we last saw them. The Bengals' passing attack has a lot of room to improve from what they were against the Browns, but doing enough to score 24-27 points and being the reason the team wins won't necessarily result in this game going over 49 total points. On the other side, the Jaguars' offense figures to find more resistance in Cincinnati than they did at home last week, against a Panthers defense that's only a year removed from being historically bad against the run.
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