Jacksonville will aim to right the ship when it hosts the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3 of the regular season. If the Jaguars do indeed want to compete for a playoff spot, a win here seems crucial. Meanwhile, Baltimore is off to an undefeated start and hopes to keep it rolling as it aims to make the postseason.
Watch this regular season Week 3 matchup live on Sunday, September 25, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at EverBank Field.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Ravens PK
Jaguars PK
Over/Under 47.5
Odds Analysis
This one is a true coin flip as the oddsmakers have deemed Baltimore the slightly more talented team, but that’s canceled out by the home field advantage for the Jaguars. So far the money has been evenly distributed on each side as bettors are also split on which team to back.
The scoring total could have been placed a bit high as gamblers see a bounce-back from the Jacksonville defense, which would help the “under” finish as the correct play.
Injury Report
Kelvin Beachum -- The Jaguars left tackle sustained a concussion in the third quarter against the Chargers and the injury was concerning when he was placed on a backboard and lifted onto a cart. Beachum was taken to a hospital and kept overnight for observation.
Elvis Dumervil -- The Ravens’ standout outside linebacker missed another game with his foot injury and he could be out this one as well. Dumervil had 17 sacks two seasons ago and six last year, so he is a huge pass-rushing presence and will be missed if he can’t play.
Player to Watch
Blake Bortles -- The Jaguars quarterback shows off his considerable talent at times, but is also too error-prone. Jacksonville has a nice passing offense but turnovers played a big role in the blowout loss to the Ravens.
Bortles finished 31-of-50 for 329 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. His main target is Allen Robinson while Allen Hurns and Julius Thomas are nice complementary pieces, but Bortles doesn’t want to be throwing 50 times per game.
He has to learn not to take so many chances as he had a league-high 18 interceptions in 2015 and has three already in 2016. If Jacksonville can turn it around, it will be on the shoulders of a more effective Bortles.
The Ravens secondary is decent but not among the best units in the league and can be picked apart if Bortles plays well.
Free ATS Pick
This is a huge bounce-back game for Jacksonville. If it doesn’t happen, coach Gus Bradley could be on the hot seat.
The Ravens might be 2-0, but they needed to rally from a big hole just to knock off the lowly Cleveland Browns last time out. Baltimore has a strong track record, but isn’t one of the better AFC teams at this juncture.
However, a convincing win would move them to 3-0 and up the national exposure. The Jaguars secondary didn’t succeed against Philip Rivers and hopes to do better against Joe Flacco. He can be very hot and cold, so it will be interesting to see which Flacco shows up.
These opposite records aren’t a fair indicator of the gulf between the team. In fact, the Jaguars should be able to turn it around quickly and deliver on some of that promise from the offseason. Jacksonville has started slowly while Baltimore has been hot, but that will change in this one.
Take the Jaguars in this pick-’em showdown as well as the “over” on the scoring total.
NFL Odds: Jaguars 27, Ravens 21
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