Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots
Time: 1 PM ET (CBS)
Spread: NE -14
Total: 49
Betting odds c/o Bovada
The Jacksonville Jaguars are 1-1 on the season but are about to find things a lot tougher with the New England Patriots hosting them for a Week 3 showdown that will air on CBS at 1 PM EST. Early odds favor the Patriots by 14-points, and the point total for the game is set at 49.
Last week the Jaguars fell 23-20 to instate rival Miami. The Dolphins finished off Jax with a 28-yard field goal by Jason Myers with 40 seconds remaining in the game, and Miami held off a final stab by Jacksonville to get its first victory of the season. Blake Bortles threw 18 of 33 for 273 yards with a pair of TDs while posting an 89.8 passer rating. However, the Jags did not get enough depth of production from its backfield. T.J. Weldon led the way with 70 yards on 25 carries, and Bortles was the second-leading rusher with 27 yards on two hauls.
The Jaguars lack options in the backfield, and Denard Robinson saw just one carry for nine yards in the game. WR Allen Robinson was Jacksonville’s main attraction with 155 yards on six receptions for two TDs, including a 52-yard catch. Allen Hurns was the No. 2 WR with 68 yards on four catches.
Defensively the Jaguars put good pressure on Tannehill with nine QB hits, but the Miami QB did not throw any INTs in the game and. Even with the pressure, he still completed 30 of 44 passes for 359 yards, so some of the blitzes are going to have to give rise to forced turnovers for Jacksonville to reap the benefits of its labor.
Jaguars punter Bryan Anger had a nice performance with seven punts for 317 yards including a long punt of 56. Jason Myers hit all three of his field goals including a 58 yard attempt.
The New England Patriots have started the season 2-0 following the overturning of Tom Brady’s four game suspension. The Pats have accordingly won 28-21 over Pittsburgh and 40-32 over Buffalo. Brady has thrown 69.2 percent for completion and is averaging 366 yards per game while having thrown seven TDs and not a single INT yet. Brady had an amazing 466 yards last week, as New England scored three TDs in the first half.
The Patriots have received decent production from Dion Lewis in the backfield, but no one else has contributed much of anything (nor received more than six carries yet). Lewis has 109 yards on 22 carries (5 per) and a TD on the season, in addition to having earned 2.5 first downs per game. Even so, the Pats average just 68 rushing yards per game.
TE Rob Gronkowski continues to produce and is the team’s top receiver this year through the first two games. He has 207 yards on 12 receptions and averages 17.3 yards per catch. Julian Edleman is No. 2 on the team with 194 yards on 22 catches, running mostly short routes but being a consistent source of offense in several sets.
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Lewis has functioned well as a dual-threat back and has 149 yards on 10 catches, actually amassing more yardage via the pass than he has on the ground. He had 98 of those yards last week on six catches and was targeted nine times. Edleman saw 19 plays run for him and came away with 97 yards and a team-high two receiving TDs.
Defensively Jaime Collins has been huge with five sacks already on the season. Dont’a Hightower leads the team with 14 solo tackles, six assisted and three sacks in his own right.
Mega kicker Stephen Gostowski is 4 of 4 on the season with a 50 yard attempt already under his belt. Punter Ryan Allen has also done a good job thus far with a 49 yard average (41.6 net) and a long of 67 yards.
The Patriots are outclassing this week’s opponent by a good bit, and it is tough to imagine Jacksonville even covering the 14-point spread. It is a fair assessment, but this could turn into a laugher, unless the Jags’ defense materializes by creating more plays and forcing some turnovers. It is far more likely that Brady carves it up though, and the ‘over’ is an attractive bet in this contest, as well.
