Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars Betting Preview (Sun)
Teams headed in opposite directions meet in Jacksonville Sunday for Week 2 of the NFL season. Denver hits the road for a second straight game when it visits the Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field.
The Broncos ended their 8-game September losing streak with a 27-13 win at New York (N) last week, while the Jaguars continued their losing ways with a disappointing 37-21 loss at Houston. The loss to the Texans marked the Jaguars’ 16th straight defeat.
Game Odds
According to sportsbooks, Denver opens as a 6-point favorite with -110 odds to cover the spread. Bettors taking the Jags to cover at home will receive the same -110 odds. BetUs has also set the Over/Under point total at 45.5 with -110 odds on either side of the number.
Drama in Jacksonville?
Before the disappointing loss to the Texans last week, the Urban Meyer era was already off to a shaky start. Reports out of the Jacksonville camp stated Meyer had ruffled some weathers among both players and coaches on staff.
After the 16-point loss in Week 1, Meyer’s name has already surfaced to return to the college ranks as the leading candidate to replace the recently fired Clay Helton at USC. A win Sunday could quiet some of those rumors, for the time being, but another embarrassing loss and the first-year NFL head coach could be on the move again, sooner than later.
Good Start
Teddy Bridgewater gave the Denver front office a little peace of mind with his team debut last week. Bridgewater, who beat out Drew Locke for the starting quarterback during the preseason, completed 28 of 36 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns last week. More importantly, Bridgewater did not turn the ball over in the win.
Jerry Jeudy and Noah Fant both hauled in six passes and combined for 134 yards, led by Jeudy’s 72 yards. Jeudy will miss some time, however, after leaving Sunday’s game with a high-ankle sprain.
Balanced Attack
Denver’s offense rolled up 420 yards from scrimmage against the Giants. The Broncos finished with 255 yards passing and 165 yards on the ground. Melvin Gordon carved up the Giants for 101 yards and a touchdown, while 2021 draft pick Javonte Williams added 45 yards with a team-high 14 totes.
Game of Firsts
Top draft pick Trevor Lawrence had a game he would much rather forget last week. In addition to losing in the regular season for the first time, at any level, Lawrence also threw three interceptions in a game for the first time in his entire playing career.
The No. 1 overall pick did toss three touchdowns and passed for 332 yards in the loss. But the rookie had his number called 51 times, completing 28, which is not a recipe for success for the Jags.
D.J. Chark hauled in three passes for 86 yards, while Marvin Jones (77) and Laviska Shenault (50) combined for 127 yards.
Can Jags Get Ground Game Going?
Free-agent signee Carlos Hyde led the rushing attack in Week 1 with 44 yards on nine totes. Top back James Robinson was limited to just 25 yards on five carries. Jacksonville will need to get Robinson more involved in the offense to have a chance this week.
Betting Trends
Denver is 4-2 in its last six games against the spread, while Jacksonville is 1-5 in its last five ATS.
The Under has hit in six of the last nine games for the Broncos and four of their last five on the road.
Denver is 4-1 ATS in the last five games against AFC opponents, while Jacksonville is 5-2 ATS in the last seven September games.
Free Bet: Denver -6
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