JACKSONVILLE – Each week during the 2025 season, Jaguars "experts" – Frank Frangie, Jeff Lageman, Brent Martineau, John Oehser, Brian Sexton, J.P. Shadrick and Kainani Stevens – will analyze the following day's Jaguars matchup.

Up this week:

The Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Frank Frangie, Radio Voice of the Jaguars

• The Jaguars will win if: They replicate what they did in Week 1 — run the football, stay committed to the run, win the trenches, and create enough pressure defensively that turns into takeaways. Pretty simple, right? Obviously, the Bengals are a tougher out. Burrow can make life difficult for a defense. But the Jags can again be the more physical team. That will be the key.
• The Bengals will win if: The Bengals will win if they shut down the Jaguars running game, which the Panthers couldn't do. Their goal is to make Trevor Lawrence pass off schedule. And they will win if they protect Burrow against what might become a pretty good Jaguars pass rush.
• As Frangie sees it: This will be close. And it's a real opportunity for the Jaguars. If the Jags can establish the run, they can get to 2-0. That is the key to the game for them.

Jeff Lageman, Jaguars analyst and former Jaguars defensive end

• The Jaguars will win if: Their offense can run effectively (again) and Lawrence can improve his level of play from last week. A ground game keeps Burrow on the sideline and Lawrence will have to provide points to keep pace with a Bengals offense that normally scores a bunch of points.
• The Bengals will win if: Chase and Higgins are explosive elements. Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor is a "throw-the-football"-first coach and will test a Jaguars secondary for a full sixty minutes. Burrow is elite and when he gets in a groove, he can be unstoppable.
• As Lageman sees it: This will be a much tougher test for the Jaguars than the Panthers. There is no comparison between Carolina quarterback Bryce Young and Burrow. The Jaguars will have to play better this week to win. Bengals fans will be fired up for the "Open in Orange" home opener and the Bengals will be fired up as well after only having 95 net yards passing against the Browns.

Brent Martineau, Action Sports Jax Sports Director

• The Jaguars will win if: Quarterback Trevor Lawrence throws for more than 250 yards and wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter get 12 or more touches. The Bengals will try to stop the run in this game, which should open up some bigger plays in the passing game for Lawrence and Coen. It might not take a shootout, but the Jaguars are going to have to match the aerial attack of Cincinnati.
• The Bengals will win if: Defensive end Trey Hendrickson is disruptive and records at least one sack. The Jaguars' offensive line did a nice job in Week 1, but Hendrickson is one of the most underrated players in the game. The Jaguars have to be able to neutralize him to give Lawrence time to execute in the passing game.
• As Martineau sees it: The Jaguars are appropriate underdogs, but the Bengals just don't play well in September. Why not jump on the early-season Jags train and pick a team that feels good about themselves? The Bengals have stars, but how good is their overall football team? I like a Jaguars surprise on the banks of the Ohio River with a 27-23 victory.

John Oehser, jaguars.com senior writer

• The Jaguars will win if: They out-physical the Bengals and take advantage of opportunities. The Jaguars were the more physical team on both sides of the ball in the regular-season opener against the Carolina Panthers, and that's how they want to play all season. If the Jaguars fail to score on red-zone drives, or miss chances to sack or intercept Burrow when they arise, those are bad signs.
• The Bengals will win if: They stop the Jaguars' running game and protect Burrow. If the Bengals hold the Jaguars under 100 yards rushing and Burrow has a clean pocket on all but one or two plays, it's hard to imagine him not connecting with his talented wide receivers enough to win a passing contest.
• As Oehser sees it: This is a much tougher test for the Jaguars than Week 1. The worrisome part is this is a young team that hasn't faced a quarterback as resilient or dangerous as Burrow. The positive for the Jaguars is they may be physical enough and good enough running to control a road game in a tough environment.

Brian Sexton, jaguars.com senior correspondent

• The Jaguars will win if: They score 30 points. You have to figure the Bengals' offense will be ready to roll on Sunday after struggling in Week 1 with an excellent Cleveland Browns defense. The Jaguars' defense is improved from last season, but asking them to hold Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Co. to 17 or fewer points on a second consecutive Sunday is unreasonable. The Jaguars must put the ball in the end zone Sunday.
• The Bengals will win if: Burrow has time in the pocket. Defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker will cause problems. but the Jaguars really need tackles Arik Armstead and Khalen Saunders Sr. to push the pocket and make Burrow move his feet. Burrow with time will shred a secondary.
• As Sexton sees it: I expect the Jaguars to play well and be the more physical team, which should keep the game close. But you can play well for 59 minutes and Burrow and wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins need only a sliver of an opportunity to make you pay. It feels like beating the Bengals in their home opener is a big ask, but it also feels like Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen's team is up to the challenge.

J.P. Shadrick, jaguars.com senior reporter

• The Jaguars will win if: The offensive line can dominate the Bengals' front four. Hendrickson is the priority, but they do have others to be concerned with. Will this offensive line group lead the path to 200 yards rushing and no sacks every week? Likely not. But they are the key to everything else working well on offense.
• The Bengals will win if: Burrow has time to connect with Chase and Higgins and Co. down the field. If there's interior pressure, that's ideal … but if he can escape and slide, that buys time for him down the field. Also, tackling in the secondary is a massive key - it's not often that you need a tackling plan for a wide receiver, but Chase is one of those.
• As Shadrick sees it: We will see how the Jaguars handle a hostile road environment this week. If the offense can maintain control of the line and keep moving the sticks, first downs and points are two of the best ways to shut up a crowd. The Bengals' offense is looking to bounce back from a pedestrian start to the season last week, and they'll be ready to throw it all over the yard. How do the Jags handle adversity? We're about to find out.

Kainani Stevens, Jaguars team reporter

• The Jaguars will win if: They play more balanced on offense. The run game was dominant against the Panthers, but the pass game was underwhelming. Wide receivers Thomas, Dyami Brown and Hunter need to be more involved in the offense in order to keep up with Cincinnati.
• The Bengals will win if: They reverse their early-season struggles. Burrow did not look like himself in Week 1, and if he plays the same on Sunday then the Jags will have an opportunity to go 2-0.
• As Stevens sees it: I'm not certain of much at this point in the season, but I believe the Jags will play physical and continue to focus on establishing the run. I'm going optimistic until proven otherwise. I think the Jags find a way and get their first road win of the season in Cincinnati.