Jacksonville Jaguars predictions: Without Joe Burrow, do NFL experts give Bengals a shot?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are playing their first Monday Night Football game since 2011. They'll welcome the Cincinnati Bengals, who have made the past two AFC Championship Games, to EverBank Stadium for a primetime showcase.

The matchup lost some of its luster when star quarterback Joe Burrow injured his wrist, putting him out for the season. Jake Browning, an undrafted rookie from Washington, will start in his place.

The Jags are 8-3 and sitting atop the AFC South after beating C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans 24-21 last week. Trevor Lawrence posted his second straight strong start, throwing for 364 yards and a touchdown while running for another. Christian Kirk and Calvin Ridley both had 89 receiving yards with Ridley bringing in the go-ahead TD.

The Bengals are 5-6 and on the outside of the playoff race after their third straight loss, 16-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Star receiver Ja'Marr Chase had an 81-yard day, but Joe Mixon and the rest of the offense struggled. Fellow wideout Tee Higgins has missed all three games on the skid with a hamstring injury but could return in Jacksonville.

Can the Jags keep the winning streak rolling Monday night? Here's a look at what NFL reporters and analysts predict will happen:

Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY: Jags 23-17

"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, overthinking key play calls and opting for questionable decisions inside the two-minute drill. This line is a bit too rich for me."

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Jags 27-14

"The Bengals not having Joe Burrow weakens their offense. But their defense is wilting more with their issues over the middle vs. run and covering tight ends. Look for that to work well for Travis Etienne and Evan Engram to help the Jaguars plenty as the wide receivers also are rolling with Trevor Lawrence. Jake Browning will do his best to keep Cincinnati in it early, but the road in the prime time for the young fill-in QB becomes overwhelming."

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Jags 28-13

"This game has lost a lot of its luster with the loss of Joe Burrow. Jacksonville is coming off a big division victory, which sometimes can lead to a letdown. But since this is on Monday night, and they haven't been in this spot since 2011, there will be no letdown. They get the best of Jake Browning in his first road start."

Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: Jags 24-10

"In losing to the 49ers, the Jaguars saw what they needed to do to get to the next level."

Ian Hanford, Bleacher Report: Bengals cover

Hanford was one of three members of Bleacher Report's seven-member panel to back the Bengals.

"Zac Taylor must realize leaning on Joe Mixon and the run game for more than eight carries would be a wise idea and to just let Jake Browning manage the game in his first road start," he wrote. "Doing so would put a potentially healthy Bengals defense and Lou Anarumo in a position to throw some wrinkles at Trevor Lawrence, at least enough to give him pause, and keep this game within a touchdown."

Safid Dean, USA TODAY: Jags 27-13

"Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars are rolling with an 8-3 record and a huge win over the Texans last week. They should sail smoothly against the Bengals without Joe Burrow."

Ali Bhanpuri, NFL.com: Jags 24-17

"This cat clash and Bro Bowl would've had a lot more juice three weeks ago, when it was also a battle between former No. 1 picks. Unlike my favorite Coach Taylor (coincidentally, also the leader of a cat-mascot team -- two, actually), Zac isn't about to will his QB2-turned-QB1 to a championship run.

"That's not to say Jake Browning didn't have his moments last week: In his first NFL start, he produced the week's top CPOE (9.1%) and fourth-best yards per attempt (8.7), per Next Gen Stats. But the Bengals struggled to sustain drives and avoid costly mistakes. The most troubling stat, though, was Joe Mixon's measly 16 yards on eight carries. Expect the Jaguars and their fourth-ranked rush defense to target a similar result on Sunday.

"While Cincinnati's skill players are talented enough to elevate their inexperienced passer, enabling the Bengals to hang around in this one, they simply can't overcome the disparity at the QB position. Taking the Jags with clear eyes and a full heart. Can't lose?"

Bill Bender, Sporting News: Jags 26-17

"Jake Browning proved capable when he got the ball out quick for the Bengals, but he still took four sacks in his starting debut. Jacksonville has settled into a rhythm despite two blowout losses at home this season. The Jaguars have not been on Monday Night Football since 2011 – so anticipate a rowdy crowd here. Trevor Lawrence – who averages 303 passing yards the last two weeks – does the rest."

Tyler Dragon, USA TODAY: Jags 27-17

"As expected, life without Joe Burrow has not gone well for the Bengals. Cincinnati’s losing streak continues this week. The Jaguars are in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun is top five in the NFL in tackles and edge rusher Josh Allen is top five in the league in sacks."

John Breech, CBS Sports: Jags 20-16

"This game lost a lot of luster after the Bengals lost Joe Burrow for the season, but here's the crazy thing: Jake Browning wasn't that bad against the Steelers. I was expecting Tim Boyle-level football, but Browning actually played reasonably well.

"Does that mean he'll be able to dice up the Jaguars' secondary? When it comes to the Jaguars' defense, it's almost impossible to run on them, but that won't really matter to the Bengals, because they can't run the ball (They rank dead last in the NFL with 75.8 rushing yards per game). On the other hand, the Jags' have struggled to stop the pass, which could open the door for Browning to have a surprisingly good night."

Jaguars-Bengals betting odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, November 30.

• Spread: Jaguars (-8.5)

• Over/under: 39 points

• Moneyline: Bengals +310, Jaguars -400

How can I watch Jaguars vs. Bengals?

• When: 8:15 p.m. Monday, December 4

• Where: EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.

• TV: ESPN (Channel 206 on DirecTV, Channel 140 on Dish)

• Streaming: WatchESPN and the ESPN app (TV provider subscription needed), fuboTV (7-day free trial), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial)

Jaguars vs. Bengals is the Monday Night Football game this week on ESPN. Joe Buck will be the play-by-play announcer with Troy Aikman serving as analyst and Lisa Salters reporting from the sideline.

Streaming options include fuboTV, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Jaguars schedule 2023

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Jaguars vs Bengals predictions: NFL experts pick Monday Night Football