Go back and listen to Gus Bradley all offseason long, and you'll hear the same song and dance. He kept preaching that the Jacksonville Jaguars had fantastic depth this year unlike they have had during his tenure.
We're going to find out really quick this week whether that is true when they go into battle without a number of those crucial rotational players against the Detroit Lions.
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
Bradley has consistently not put his young quarterback, Blake Bortles into any trouble this offseason. The UCF product hasn't taken a lot of shots down the field, and his five- and seven-step drops which have had him standing back in the pocket have been limited. That said, if there's a game to turn him loose, this is the one. Stephen Morris has nothing to gain by playing in game like this one, and Chad Henne is what he is at this point in his career as a veteran backup.
That's why it only makes sense to let Bortles play into the third quarter of this third preseason contest.
The Lions are probably going to be more conservative, as has been the M.O. for Jim Caldwell his entire career no matter the situation.
Matt Stafford, who has only thrown the pill a total of 10 times this preseason, probably won't get the whole first half. Dan Orlovsky will play some, while Kellen Moore and potentially Garrett Gilbert will clean this game up.
From a live betting standpoint, the quarterback rotation is a clear edge for Jacksonville, something which should be kept in mind the whole game.
WHEN JACKSONVILLE HAS THE BALL
The wide receiver position is getting testy for Jacksonville. There aren't a ton of reps thanks to the somewhat conservative approach taken by Bradley this preseason, but there are still plenty which have some proving to do.
Greg Jenkins is amongst the many fighting for what might be just one receiver spot left on the team. Tandon Toss, Neal Sterling and Bryan Walters are all going to get a lot of playing time as well, though we're not sure what any will prove without getting many passes thrown their way of any consequence.
WHEN DETROIT HAS THE BALL
Caldwell might not want to use Stafford for that long in this game, but we know that this Detroit offense will be a well-oiled machine when he is out there. The Lions aren't afraid to let Stafford uncork some big throws; three of his 10 attempts have traveled at least 15 yards down the field out of his hand.
However, don't be surprised if Detroit gets back to slowing the game down with the running game to get a better look at guys like Ameer Abdullah and Zach Zenner in the backfield, which could legitimately cause the clock to roll really fast on live bettors.
TREND TO TRACK
There's a point that what looks like a few random bad results turn into a trend, and we might be at that point for Jacksonville.
Live bettors should know that when push has come to shove, Bradley hasn't been good in the preseason, especially in these middle weeks of the campaign when depth is tested and starters are on the field for the most snaps. The Jags haven't been good in the regular season – no two ways around that. But if Bradley can't get his act together before this one, he could fall to 0-6 in Weeks 2 and 3 in the preseason in his career.
Even when the reserves come in, live betting can be really valuable against Jacksonville.
The NFL betting lines and props for this Friday game were first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. The Jacksonville Jaguars were lined at -2 alongside a total of 42. Live wagering during commercials offers adjusted moneylines, totals and spreads. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
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