Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars Odds

Since opening the season with a 16-14 win over the Tennessee Titans, the Jacksonville Jaguars have endured three straight defeats. They’ll look to get back on track Sunday when they play host to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Jaguars are currently listed as a 2.5-point favorite with the total set at 37.

Jacksonville was outgained 503-274 in last week’s 23-10 home loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert completed only 16 of 42 passes for 196 yards with one touchdowns and one interception.

Star running back Maurice Jones-Drew gained 84 of Jacksonville’s 104 rushing yards.

Following back-to-back defeats to the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers, the Bengals bounced back with a 23-20 victory over the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills.

The Bengals fell behind 17-3 but battled back to win on a Mike Nugent 43-yard field goal as time expired.

Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton completed 18 of 36 passes for 298 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed for the game-tying touchdown with 4:09 remaining.

The Bengals had a big day on the ground with 171 yards. Cedric Benson led the way with 104 yards on 5.5 yards per carry.

Benson, who faces a possible three-game suspension for his arrest in July on assault charges, could be poised for a big game considering the Jaguars gave up 177 rushing yards to the Saints last Sunday.

If the Bengals are able to run the ball and control the clock, it could be a long day for the Jags, who rank 31st in total offense and last in scoring with 264.2 yards and 9.8 points per game.

The Jags do rank sixth in the NFL with 126.8 rushing yards per game but nothing figures to come easy against a Cincinnati stop unit that ranks No. 1 in the league in total defense with 275.5 yards allowed per contest.

Expect the Bengals to force the Jaguars to beat them through the air Sunday. That means Gabbert will have to perform a lot better than he did last week when he completed only 38.1 percent of his passes for Jacksonville to have a chance.

Jacksonville has won four of the last five meetings with Cincinnati, but the Bengals won the most recent matchup 21-19 at home on Nov. 2, 2008.

The Jaguars have won their last seven home games in this series and have gone 5-1-1 against the spread in those contests.

The Bengals are 8-1 against the spread in their last nine games as an underdog of three points or less, but the Jaguars are 4-0 against the number in their last four games as a favorite of three or fewer points.

The Jaguars have played to the under in each of their four games this season, but they have played to the over in eight of their last 11 home games (with one push) as a favorite of three points or less.

The Bengals have finished over the total in three of four games this season.

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