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The Jacksonville Jaguars will travel to take on the Washington Commanders in the season opener for both teams on Sunday afternoon. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NFL odds series, which includes a Jaguars-Commanders prediction and pick, laid out below.
Jacksonville endured one of the worst seasons imaginable in 2021. Aside from their awful play on the field, which earned them the first overall pick once again, former head coach Urban Meyer found himself in hot water for some questionable off-the-field behavior. Couple that with a rookie quarterback trying to learn the league, and it is no surprise this team struggled.
Washington narrowly missed the playoffs last season, going 7-10, third place in the NFC East. Ron Rivera is back for a third season at the helm of this team, and he has won seven games in each of his first two seasons. Rivera made the Super Bowl with Carolina in 2015, and this Washington club improved in the offseason.
Here are the Jaguars-Commanders NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Jaguars-Commanders Odds
Jacksonville Jaguars: +2.5 (+100)
Washington Commanders: -2.5 (-122)
Over: 43.5 (-114)
Under: 43.5 (-106)
Why The Jaguars Could Cover The Spread
Well, things cannot get much worse than 2021 for Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence struggled in his initiation into the NFL but started all 17 games for the club. Lawrence threw 17 interceptions with only 12 touchdowns, going 3-14 in his work. Lawrence also added two rushing touchdowns. James Robinson and Travis Etienne, who missed all of 2021, will be the main running backs for this offense. Robinson has catapulted himself from an undrafted free agent to starting running back, totaling 1,837 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in his two seasons. Christian Kirk and Zay Jones were acquired to give Lawrence some reliable targets at receiver. The two will pair with Marvin Jones, who totaled 832 yards and four touchdowns last season, both totals that led the team. Inconsistency has plagued Evan Engram's career, but when he is on, he is a dangerous receiving tight end.
Jacksonville spent the first overall pick on a defensive player, underlining their desperate need to improve that group. Travon Walker should make an immediate impact on a group that allowed 26.9 points per game a year ago. Tyson Campbell totaled two interceptions in his rookie season. Josh Allen (the defensive player) has totaled 20.5 career sacks in three seasons with the club.
Why The Commanders Could Cover The Spread
Washington has a new quarterback at the helm in Carson Wentz. Wentz was supplanted by Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia, spending last season as the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. The former Eagle tossed 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions for a team that missed the playoffs by a thread. Wentz is a solid but not flashy option to lead the offense. Antonio Gibson registered over 1,000 rushing yards last season and should see the bulk of the carries once again. Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel, one-time teammates at Ohio State, will partner with Jahan Dotson to provide Wentz with big-play targets. McLaurin has totaled over 1,000 receiving yards in two straight seasons.
Washington's defense allowed 25.5 points per game in 2021, the 25th rank in the league. Kendall Fuller only intercepted one pass last season, after picking off four in his first season with the club in 2020. Look out for Montez Sweat, who has 21 career sacks in three seasons. Thankfully, this is not much of a test for this group in their first game.
Final Jaguars-Commanders Prediction & Pick
This should be a lot wider spread in my opinion.
Final Jaguars-Commanders Prediction & Pick: Washington -2.5 (-122), over 43.5 (-114)
