Jalen Ramsey didn’t hold back in a recent interview when talking about quarterbacks around the NFL. The Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back was particularly harsh when talking about Matt Ryan, who he called “overrated” and a product of former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s system. Ryan, the league’s MVP in 2016, has nothing to prove to the third-year player, but the comments certainly add some intrigue to this preseason Week 3 matchup when the Atlanta Falcons head to Florida.
This preseason Week 3 matchup takes place on Saturday, August 25, 2018, at 7 p.m. ET at TIAA Bank Field.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Atlanta Falcons +3
Jacksonville Jaguars -3
Over/Under 40
Odds Analysis
On paper this is a fairly even matchup between the starters and the Jaguars are favored by the value of home field advantage. One coach will get his first preseason Week 3 win in this contest with both entering with identical 0-3 records in the dress rehearsal. The total opened at 40.
Quarterback Rotation
Ryan and Dan Quinn downplayed the remarks made by Ramsey with the coach saying his team doesn’t need locker room fodder provided by an outsider to get his team motivated. Ryan said he doesn’t worry about what others say. Publicly they’re saying the right things, but inside Ryan is seething and he’ll get his only chance this season to takedown Ramsey on Saturday.
We will see a similar rotation from the Falcons with Ryan getting increased reps. He played into the second quarter in last year’s dress rehearsal and will look to build off a solid Week 2 outing. Ryan led the Falcons to a touchdown on their first possession and had another impressive drive before calling it a night. He finished 5 of 7 for 90 yards, which was a huge improvement from his opening series. He will work the first-team offense without the services of Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman, who Quinn said will not play on Saturday.
Blake Bortles isn’t looking over his shoulder this preseason. Benched prior to the dress rehearsal last year, Bortles was just trying to secure a roster spot. Now he’s leading a team with hopes of contending for a Super Bowl. Bortles has done everything Doug Marrone expects in camp and he’s been solid. He made one poor decision last week that resulted in an interception, but he responded on the ensuing drive by leading the Jags to a touchdown. He’s 18 of 29 for 212 yards in two games and has yet to throw a touchdown pass.
Bortles will play the first half if not longer in his final preseason action before giving way to Cody Kessler, who is the primary backup by default. Kessler was 11 of 16 for 72 yards against the Vikings last week, but he was sacked four times. Rookie Tanner Lee is slated to get the Week 4 start.
Player to Watch
With Jones ruled out for the game, the door is open for first-round pick Calvin Ridley to strut his stuff with the first-team offense. Ridley has displayed the precise route-running and super glue hands that made him the Falcons top pick. Ridley had a team-high three receptions on six targets last week, including his first pro touchdown on a 7-yard strike from Matt Schaub.
We can also expect to see Ridley contribute on special teams. “I want to get the ball,” Ridley explained. And another way of doing that is to use him returning kicks. Ridley returned the opening kickoff 34 yards last week and totaled 52 yards on two attempts, earning him another shot at the job this week.
Free ATS Pick
Any little edge in the preseason is worth taking a look at and the Falcons got a big one thanks to Ramsey’s recent comments about their MVP quarterback. On the outside Ryan shrugged it off, but you know it’s something he, his teammates and coordinator Steve Sarkisian are using as motivation. We don’t know if it will translate into a victory, but it will certainly make things more interesting.
Atlanta’s first-team offense was firing on all cylinders last week, but they’ll have to do it again without two major weapons against one of the best defenses in the league. Ramsey can back up his talk and he returns along with Dante Fowler after they were suspended from last week’s contest. Still, I think the Falcons will be motivated enough to get the win while putting up enough points to cash the over.
NFL Odds: Falcons 24, Jaguars 20
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