Battle of the Big Cats: Jaguars vs. Bengals — NFL Expert Picks & Predictions (10/4)
Written by: Varun Sharma
Last Update: Thu Oct 01, 2026, 7:34 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
nfl
Spread
Total
Moneyline
+3.0
-120
52.0
-110u
+130
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Moneyline
-2.0
-120
51
-105o
-140
Week 4 is here and with it, we've got the Battle of the Big Cats. The Jacksonville Jaguars will head to Ohio this week to take on the Cincinnati Bengals; both teams looking for their third win of the year.
With the game total set at 51 and still climbing; this game promises offense and honestly, they should deliver. Two high powered offenses, two elite QBs and two elite WRs; one per team.
I can't wait, let's jump right into this one.
For additional information on picks, props, moneylines, and more on today's slate, take a look at our NFL Picks Page or our NFL Odds Page.
Game Information
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Matchup Information
- Location: Paycor Stadium; Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: Sunday, October 4th, 2026
- Kickoff: 1:00 PM EST
Quarterback Matchup
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence (2025: 13-4; 235.7 YPG | 29 TD | 12 INT)
- Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow (2025: 5-3; 226.1 YPG | 17 TD | 5 INT)
Betting Odds
Odds via Lucky Rebel, an industry leader in the sports betting world.
Analysis & Breakdown
Earn Those Stripes
The Cincinnati Bengals come into Week 4, fresh off their first loss of the season. Cincinnati dropped last week's divisional matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, losing 30-27 in the final minutes of that game.
The Bengals are averaging 26.7 points, 323.3 total yards of offense and 2.7 touchdowns per game. Joe Burrow's averaging 247.7 yards per game, he's got 6 touchdown passes and just 1 interception.
Burrow's been pretty much flawless this year, up until last week's 2-minute drill against the Steelers. Pittsburgh went up 30-27 with just over 2 minutes left in the game. Joey and the offense get one more crack at it, down 3 with 2:15 on the clock.
Just four plays later, the Bengals are on the Pittsburgh 38-yard line; on the edge of field goal range. With 53 seconds left in the game, Burrow drops back to pass; he's hit, he fumbles and the Steelers win the game.
The end of this game was ugly, but the Bengals defense was even worse. After back to back solid outings against the Texans and Buccaneers; the Bengals let old man Rodgers throw for 292 yards and 3 touchdowns. They let Jaylen Warren run for 127 yards, average 7.5 yards per carry and watched as Ben Skowronek scored a touchdown.
Things got ugly for Cincinnati and once again it started on defense.
Spots > Stripes
The Jacksonville Jaguars have one of the funnest offenses in football and the man behind it all is Head Coach Liam Coen. Coen's got this Jag's offense averaging 27.3 points per game and they've scored 34+ points in two of their three games so far.
Trevor Lawrence looks great this year. He's averaging just 205.3 pass yards per game but that's because the Jaguars' have been playing a majority of this year with a lead. Lawrence has thrown 7 touchdown passes, he's got 2 interceptions and a passer rating of 107.8.
Who's Lawrence throwing to? The one and only, Parker Washington.
Washington has been a force this year, recording 221 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in the first three games of the season. Out of the backfield, it's been Bayshul Tuten dominating touches.
In just his second year, Tuten's averaging 68 rush yards per game, 4.7 yards per carry and he's scored 2 touchdowns already. Tuten's also caught all 5 of his targets this year, going for 36 yards and no touchdowns through the air.
Defensively, the Jaguars rank 1st in points allowed through three weeks. The defense is giving up just 12.0 points per game, but that makes a lot more sense when you look at who they've played (CLE/DEN/NE).
The defense did give up 392 total yards of offense to the Broncos, eventually giving up just 20 points and 2 offensive touchdowns.
Sunday's Best Bets
Parker Washington o79.5 Receiving Yards (+110) | Lucky Rebel
This Cincinnati secondary is vulnerable and even more so in the slot. DJ Turner is this unit's top CB, but he almost never comes into the slot. Instead, the Bengals have Jalen Davis inside and he's been having a really bad time.
Davis has been targeted 11 times in the slot, allowing 7 receptions for 105 yards and 1 touchdown. The Bengals have given up the 2nd most yards to slot WRs this year and this week they face off against (arguably) the best one.
Parker Washington's currently seeing a 28.4% target share, the 5th highest in the NFL right now. He's averaging 3.25 yards per route run, 0.34 targets per route run and he's seeing a 32.8% first read target share.
Washington's also been scheme proof this year; averaging 3.48 yards per route run against man and 3.62 yards per route run against zone. Last week the Jaguars faced a tough Patriots' secondary and really never needed to pass the ball.
This week the Jaguars go on the road and go toe to toe with one of the highest powered offenses in the NFL.
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