Time: Kickoff 1 p.m. Sunday
Weather: Partly cloudy with highs in the low 50s.
Oddsmakers say: Even game with an over/under of 37, so they’re looking at a 20-17 game or closer.
Daily Record’s guarded guarantee: The Notre Dame Golden Dome’s distracting pull is strong in Southern Ohio. Bengals 28, Jaguars 24.
Records: Jaguars 3-8, Bengals 4-7.
The series: The Jaguars hold a 8-5 advantage in regular season games over the Bengals.
Last meeting: Last month, the Bengals provided welcome respite from a season thick with losses. The Jaguars won 30-13 — the last time they’ve tasted victory.
Television: The game will be televised locally on Ch. 4 and regionally on CBS affiliates.
The game: Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin’s frustration is starting to ooze out of his hardened exterior as the distractions mount. The losses are piling up on a season that was supposed to be one last push for the Super Bowl with a roster of expensive, aging stars. Not just losses, but close losses — double-digit come-from-ahead losses. Pile on the fact that college football’s coaching throne at Notre Dame is available with Coughlin’s name possibly embossed on it. Defensive players are groaning publicly about the defensive scheme. Star receiver Jimmy Smith tested positive for cocaine. It could be difficult to point to another winnable game on the Jaguars’ schedule. Nevertheless, the Jags had Green Bay on the ropes Monday night despite key offensive and defensive injuries and has looked competitive through many of its losses this season. This week they travel to Cincinnati where they’ve won twice in six tries. The Bengals have dropped five of their last six games after what started out as a promising season. It could be the Bungles of old again this season, but Coach Dick LeBeau just might want this win more for his young team than distracted and frustrated Coughlin.
Next week: The Jaguars travel to Cleveland for a 1 p.m. game.