The Minnesota Vikings were a win away from becoming the first team to play a Super Bowl in its home venue. But that dream was squashed in Philadelphia last January. That would have been a memorable game for the Vikings, but their last encounter at US Bank Stadium was pretty exciting. The last time the Vikes played a home game they pulled off the Minnesota Miracle, beating New Orleans in the divisional round. The Vikes will tee it up in Week 2 of the preseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This duel in Week 2 of the preseason will go down Saturday, August 18, 2018, at 1 p.m. ET inside US Bank Stadium. The game will air live on NFL Network.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Jacksonville Jaguars +4.5
Minnesota Vikings -4.5
Over/Under 40
Odds Analysis
Despite making the AFC Championship last season and entering 2018 as a strong contender, the Jags got little respect from oddsmakers, being pegged as a 4.5-point underdog in this matchup. It’s the largest spread on the board for Saturday’s slate, but the public is jumping at the points with nearly 80 percent of the early money on the visitors.
Players to Watch
The Jags believe it’s time for Blake Bortles to make the next step in his development. Widely criticized for his high turnover total since being selected with the third overall pick in the 2014 draft, the Jags finally put together a winning season with him at the helm.
Bortles enjoyed his finest season in 2017, completing a career-best 60.2 percent of his passes while throwing a career-low 13 interceptions. He still got very little credit for the team’s turnaround and trip to the AFC Championship Game last season. That went Leonard Fournette’s way as the rookie led the NFL’s best rushing attack. The two go hand in hand, and without a ground game the Jags likely don’t win 10 games.
Showing confidence in their signal caller, the Jags signed Bortles to a three-year deal during the offseason. And to further put the criticisms behind him, Bortles must continue to play off the teams strengths, which are defense and running the ball. But there are times when the quarterback has to make plays downfield and the Jags are relying on a group of receivers to get the job done.
There is no Antonio Brown or Julio Jones among the group, but as a whole it could be one of the best in the NFL. Donte Moncrief could emerge as the No. 1 target if he’s over injuries that plagued him the last two seasons. Maybe Keelan Cole is the guy after leading the team with 748 receiving yards in 2017. Marqise Lee is a possibility, as is Dede Westbrook and rookie D.J. Chark, who has been impressive in camp.
Coaching History
Using this game as a teaching moment, Jags coach Doug Marrone suspended Dante Fowler and Jalen Ramsey for a week for misconduct during a camp practice. It doesn’t matter in the big picture, but it shows us where Marrone stands when it comes to preseason games. The Jags lost last week as a 2-point favorite and they are 2-3 SU and 2-2-1 ATS since Marrone took over.
Mike Zimmer and the Vikings are about as close to a sure thing as there is in the preseason. A win and cover last week improved his tune-up game record to 15-3 SU and 13-5 ATS. We’ve also witnessed some theatrics offensively with the Vikes cashing the over in three straight exhibition contests.
Free ATS Pick
Kirk Cousins was exactly what the Vikings expected in his team debut last week. He completed all four pass attempts, the last a short touchdown strike to help Minnesota knock off Denver. We’ll likely see more of Cousins on Saturday and with the Jags’ first-team defense down a couple of players he could be in for another positive outing.
There are some issues with the Vikings offensive line and Dalvin Cook will not play, but Cousins is used to dealing with those types of situations from his days in Washington. It won’t faze him, and neither will the Jags defense. These were the top two teams defensively last year, and with starters going a bit longer, exceeding the point total might be tough. But the Vikings are poised for a deep run and it starts in the preseason.
NFL Odds: Vikings 22, Jaguars 17
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