The Week 13 “Monday Night Football” matchup features two AFC teams in very different locations.
The Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3) are hosting MNF for the first time in more than a decade, since 2011 to be exact – when starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence was 12 years old. The Jaguars enter the game third in the AFC and are pushing for first place after an emotional 24-21 win against the Texans in which the offense managed 445 yards and the defense had four sacks.
The Cincinnati Bengals (5-6) are still finding a rhythm after missing quarterback Joe Burrow for the season due to a ligament injury in his throwing wrist. Backup Jake Browning will make his second start after suffering a 16-10 loss to the Steelers last week. But the Bengals get star wide receiver Tee Higgins back from a hamstring injury this week.
The game is also another “Taylor Brothers Bowl” as Bengals head coach Zac Taylor takes on his younger brother, Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor.
USA TODAY Sports brings you the latest updates, scores, highlights, wild plays and analysis on the Bengals-Jaguars game throughout the night. Consequences.
The Bengals tied the game with a poor touchdown run by Joe Mixon.
Jake Browning put Cincinnati in scoring position with 80 passing yards between four different receivers, including a 14-yard throw to Tee Higgins on his return from injury.
From the 6-yard line, Mixon made his way to the goal line. As he fell forward, he deftly kept his feet forward without his knee touching the turf.
Evan McPherson scored the extra point to tie the game at 7-7. –Victoria Hernandez
The underdog Bengals had a few missed opportunities in the first quarter.
Cincinnati turned the ball over on downs on its first possession, leading to a Jaguars touchdown, and kicker Evan McPherson missed a long 57-yard field goal on the team’s second series.
Despite two unsuccessful drives, the Bengals were only down 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence had 35 passing yards in the quarter. Most of Lawrence’s yards came on a 26-yard completion to wide receiver Christian Kirk. The only touchdown was scored by running back Travis Etienne, who reached the end zone with a 4-yard run. —Tyler Dragon
The Bengals didn’t score in the first quarter.
After a pass from Jake Browning that Joe Mixon picked up for 28 yards, Cincinnati couldn’t get much going.
On fourth-and-9, Evan McPherson set up for a 57-yard field goal. He kicked the ball and it appeared to sail across the field in the middle between the goalposts, but lost height and bounced off the lower crossbar.
McPherson holds the franchise record with a 59-yard field goal he made last season, surpassing his previous record of 58 yards. –Victoria Hernandez
“Duuuval!” is a sort of rallying cry for Jaguars fans to show their support for Jacksonville’s NFL franchise. The singing comes from Duval, the county in Florida where Jacksonville is located.
The origins of the song are difficult to determine, but this is what we know.
The Jaguars offense took possession of the ball after their defense made a big stop and drove 51 yards down the field for a touchdown.
Jags QB Trevor Lawrence had a great 26-yard completion to WR Christian Kirk, who injured his groin on the play. Six plays later, running back Travis Etienne rushed to the right side for a 4-yard touchdown.
The Jaguars’ score marked only their first touchdown on the season’s opening drive. —Tyler Dragon
Trevor Lawrence and Christian Kirk got the Jaguars offense going early with a huge 26-yard catch on their first offensive play of the game.
Kirk grabbed the throw after leaping into the air and landed on his back on the turf, untouched by the Bengals’ defense. The wide receiver lay on the ground in visible pain and the ESPN broadcast went to commercial. When play returned, Kirk hobbled into the tunnel under his own power but was accompanied by athletic trainers.
The Jaguars announced Later it was questionable whether Kirk would return with a groin injury. –Victoria Hernandez
The Bengals had a promising first drive, but they turned the ball over on downs in Jacksonville territory.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor opted for fourth down from the Jacksonville 44-yard line, but Jake Browning was surrounded in the backfield by Jaguars defensive ends Travon Walker and Josh Allen for a sack.
Allen entered Monday with 12 sacks this season. Walker has 4.5 sacks this year. —Tyler Dragon
With a win over the Bengals on Monday night, the Jaguars would move to the top of the conference and then control the path to home-field advantage. – Nate Davis
They say it’s a game of chess, not checkers.
Either way, the Bengals will wear their all-white jerseys against the Jaguars, who will play in their blackout jerseys.
Cincinnati debuted its highly anticipated White Bengal helmet last season and has a slightly different white uniform this year. They wore the combination in a Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
The Jaguars introduced the all-black uniform combination when their look was revamped ahead of the 2019 season.
EverBank Stadium is painted with black end zones to match the blackout theme. –Victoria Hernandez
➤ PHOTOS: Alternative and retro jerseys of the 2023 NFL season
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffered torn ligaments in his right wrist during Cincinnati’s 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on November 16th. The injury to his throwing hand will sideline the Pro Bowl quarterback for the remainder of the season.
Burrow underwent surgery on November 27 to repair torn ligaments in his right wrist.
“The procedure went as planned and he is expected to make a full recovery,” the Bengals said in a statement.
Jake Browning — who went undrafted out of the University of Washington in 2019 and moved to the Bengals in 2021 — will start in Burrow’s place. —Jim Reineking
The Bengals at Jaguars game begins at 8:15 p.m. ET.
The Bengals-Jaguars game will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. The game can also be streamed for free on Fubo.
ESPN2 will be home to the “ManningCast” featuring Peyton and Eli Manning, as well as a trio of guests that includes Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, sportscaster/TV host Kay Adams and former NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.
According to BetMGM NFL odds, the Jaguars are the favorites to win over the Bengals.
- Distribution: Jaguars (-10)
- Money line: Jaguars (-500); Bengal (+375)
- Over/under: 46
USA TODAY Sports’ personnel picks for this game:
- Lorenzo Reyes: Jaguars 23, Bengals 17 — Jacksonville should win this game. It has the better defense and a clear advantage at quarterback. The problem is that the Jaguars stumble in high-leverage situations, overthink key play calls and make questionable decisions within the two-minute drill. This line is a bit too rich for me.
- Tyler Dragon: Jaguars 27, Bengals 17 – As expected, life without Joe Burrow didn’t go well for the Bengals. Cincinnati’s losing streak continues this week. The Jaguars are in the race for first place in the AFC. Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun is in the top five in the NFL in tackles and edge rusher Josh Allen is in the top five in the league in sacks.
- Safid Deen: Jaguars 27, Bengals 13 – Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars have an 8-3 record and a big win over the Texans last week. Without Joe Burrow, they should have no trouble facing the Bengals.
- Victoria Hernandez: Jaguars 27, Bengals 17 – The Bengals are not the same team without Joe Burrow and have lost three games in a row. The Jaguars have impressed with seven wins in eight games. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence continues to utilize the tools at his disposal. They should have no problem excelling in this matchup.
- Jordan Mendoza: Jaguars 30, Bengals 17 — Jacksonville has made a habit of beating bad teams by a wide margin and playing a Bengals team without Joe Burrow, giving them another chance at a big win. In a prime-time home game, the Jaguars pull out a win, with the defense making life difficult for Jake Browning and earning a two-point win.
Doug Pederson has helped change the Jaguars’ fortunes since being hired in 2022. The Jaguars have a 15-5 record since Week 9 of the 2022 season. It’s the fifth-best record in the NFL during that span.
Currently 8-3, the Jaguars are fighting for first place in the AFC playoff race. —Tyler Dragon
Bengals kicker Evan McPherson has made six field goals of over 50 yards this season. Only Colts kicker Matt Gay (7) and Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins (7) have converted more field goals from more than 50 yards this year.
McPherson has made 83% of his field goals since the Bengals drafted him in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. —Tyler Dragon
Former Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson, aka Ochocinco, will be among the guests on the “Monday Night Football” ManningCast with Peyton and Eli, according to ESPN2 Omaha Productions. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will also be a guest.
In September, Johnson wore a Ja’Marr Chase jersey when he was inducted into the Bengals’ Ring of Honor.
Highlighting the Monday Night Football odds, the Jacksonville Jaguars are among the best bets for NFL Week 13 as home favorites. According to BetMGM NFL odds, the Jaguars are 10 points ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals. Would you like to bet? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promotions in 2023.
According to the best NFL betting apps, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (+2200) has some of the best NFL MVP betting odds in 2023. The Jaguars (+1600) are among the teams with the best Super Bowl betting odds.
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Inactive Bengals players:
- RB Chris Evans
- LB Devin Harper
- C Trey Hill
- OT D’Ante Smith
- DT Jay Tufele
Inactive Jaguars players:
- TE Brenton Strange
- CB Montaric Brown
- LB Yasir Abdullah
- WR Elijah Cooks
- OL Chandler Brewer
- DT Angelo Blackmon
Sixty Jacksonville Jaguars players and 30 staff members will wear commemorative cleats during “Monday Night Football” to raise awareness of their favorite charities as part of the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” campaign.
The players and coaches choose a charity that is most important to them, and the names of those organizations are then printed or painted on the shoes, which are later auctioned off to raise money for those charities.
Many of the players and coaches have very personal ties to the charities they represent. For example, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson will promote the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation with shoes since his brother Craig died of this type of cancer in 2021.
Read more about the players’ stories and selected charities.
In Week 13, the situation was less pronounced with six NFL teams on byes, but there were some massive shake-ups in the balance of power in each conference, with both of last season’s Super Bowls suffering losses.
Here’s USA TODAY Sports’ Lorenzo Reyes’ complete rundown of Week 13’s biggest winners and losers.
Sunday was a wild affair in the football universe, starting early with the controversial announcement of the College Football Playoff field. Thank the pigskin gods that the NFL’s postseason isn’t so, uh, subjective? Still, it’s a fun thought exercise about how this might work in 2023, considering that eight teams entered Week 13 with at least eight wins – suggesting that the pros, as well as the college ranks, this year have an unusually large number of real candidates. – Nate Davis
According to OverTheCap.com, the NFL’s top 15 players with average annual salary are all quarterbacks. As Joe Burrow proved in his new contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, teams place a high value on having a quality QB under center. Burrow’s five-year, $275 million contract extension made him the highest-paid player in the league, with an incredible average annual value of $55 million. San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league after signing a five-year contract extension worth $170 million.
We have a complete list at each position:
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