-
Jeremy Perry
Cardinals vs. Jaguars Point Spread: NFL Week 3 Odds, Prediction
The Arizona Cardinals-Jacksonville Jaguars Week 3 matchup is a showdown of two teams heading in completely opposite directions. The Cardinals are heavy favourites because they are undefeated on the year and have scored over 30 points in each of their games so far. Meanwhile, the Jacksonville Jaguars are 0-2 and haven’t looked nearly as respectable under their new head coach Urban Meyer. Can Jacksonville hand the Cardinals their first loss of the season or will Arizona ensure that each team stays “perfect” in their own way.
The Cardinals are 7.5-point favourites to win on the NFL odds, with a total of 52.0.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Cardinals are 5-1 straight up in their last six matchups when playing against teams with a losing record. Arizona also happens to be 4-1 straight up in their past five games played in the month of September. However, they are just 1-3 against the spread in the last four matchups overall, and it will be hard to break that streak while being favoured by such a large margin.
On the other hand, the Jaguars haven’t fared too well. They are 0-8 straight up in their last eight games played when coming into a matchup after losing a home game the week before. The spread hasn’t been kind to them either, Jacksonville is 1- 5 in that department lately against teams with a winning overall record that season.
Arizona Cardinals
It doesn’t seem like there is any stopping the Cardinals offence right now. Kyler Murray is leading this team to a level they haven’t been at in quite some time. Through just two games, Murray has thrown for seven touchdowns while rushing for two more. With weapons like DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore, Christian Kirk and A.J. Green in the passing game, it’s no wonder he’s having a fantastic year.
The defence has also proven to be good at times, though they struggled in their last matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. They allowed 33 points and what would have been a game winning drive if it wasn’t for a missed 37-yard field goal. Chandler Jones looks phenomenal in his return to action since his injury, recoding five sacks in their season opener. With J.J. Watt on the other side, this team can generate pressure. However, they had issues last week and we have to see if this defence is closer to the one who held Tennessee to just 13 points in Week 1 or the unit who couldn’t get stops when they needed to against Minnesota in Week 2.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Truth be told, there hasn’t been many positives to takeaway from Jacksonville’s first two games. There is no doubt that Meyer is hoping for rookie quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, to be the face of this franchise. However, he’s been the face of losing so far. Lawrence leads the league with the most uncatchable passes. Much of the offensive weight is on his shoulders and he hasn’t been able to shine yet. He has thrown five interceptions already and he’s not getting much support. They need James Robinson to become a workhorse in the backfield or someone in the passing game to step up. Otherwise, this offence will continue to struggle.
How bad have things been for this team? Jacksonville is the only team in the league to not attempt a single rush inside the red zone this season. That is simply not going to get it done – especially against such a powerful Arizona offence. If the Jaguars can’t control time of possession, than this game is as good as done.
ARI
JAC