The Jacksonville Jaguars have tripped over their lines during dress rehearsal week, going 0-2 during Week 3 of the preseason under coach Gus Bradley.
They'll get a chance to end that streak when they host the Detroit Lions Friday on CBS.
ODDS
Jacksonville opened as a 2-point favorite at home against the Lions. The Jags are 0-2 SU and 1-1 ATS during Week 3 of the preseason under Bradley. The total opened at 42.
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
The third preseason games is typically the dress rehearsal where starters play into the second half fine-tuning their game before sitting the fourth and final contest. After playing one series in the preseason opener, Matthew Stafford played two series last week. He’s likely to play the first half with Dan Orlovsky and Kellen Moore battling for the backup job. Orlovsky got a majority of snaps last week hitting 13 of 17 for 118 yards and a pair of scores after Moore took most of the reps in Week 1.
Blake Bortles has been good this preseason but regressed a bit in Week 2 and the Jags need him to work on his accuracy. Granted, he was victimized by several drops last week against the Giants, but he threw several passes behind receivers and also underthrew Denard Robinson on what should have been a touchdown. Chad Henne is locked in as the backup with Jeff Tuel and Stephen Morris battling for the No. 3 job.
COACHES' MOTIVATION
The third preseason game supposedly is the closest to resembling a regular season contest as there is during the exhibition season. Starters are getting closer to opening season shape and see significantly more action before sitting out the finale. Coaches should have a clearer idea of where their first-teamers stand when the third game rolls around. Getting a win this week actually means something facing the opponents best for a half or more. So this game carries some importance for Gus Bradley and the Jags, who are looking to be relevant in the AFC. Bradley hasn’t won a Week 3 game in his first two season and the Jags totaled just seven regular season wins in Bradley’s tenure.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“If it was a critical time or game, he could have played last week. This week, we feel better about his opportunity. I would see him getting some reps with the ones and twos, mostly the ones, though.” – Jaguars coach Gus Bradley on rookie running back T.J. Yeldon, who will make his preseason debut against the Lions
POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH
No decision has been made yet on the Jaguars’ starting center with Stefan Wisniewski and Luke Bowanko going into another week of competition. Wisniewski started last week after Bowanko got the call in the preseason opener. The two have split days working with the first-team unit throughout camp and Bradley has yet to commit either way. The coach said the two could share time with the starters against the Lions.
INJURIES
The Jaguars lost cornerback Demetrius McCray and linebackers LaRoy Reynolds and Khairi Fortt to knee injuries last week.
Lions’ linebacker Kyle Van Noy remains sidelined with an unspecified injury and coach Caldwell didn’t sound optimistic about a return this week.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Though the Jaguars have a better roster and Bortles is progressing at quarterback, the Jags are still the Jags with lots of work ahead of them. Week 3 of the preseason is the dress rehearsal and Jacksonville has failed in each of the last two under Bradley. The Lions were victimized by penalties last week in a game they let slip away. Watch for Detroit to be more disciplined and put a stranglehold on the Jags in a game that should play below the total.
Detroit 23, Jacksonville 12
The NFL odds for this Friday game were first available at BookMaker sportsbook. The Jaguars were pegged as 2-point chalk while the total opened at 42. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time odds and player props during the game. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
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