Jaguars vs. Lions Point Spread: NFL Pre-Season Week 2 Odds, Prediction
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Edgar Chaput
The Floridian squad opened its August calendar with a victory over the Dallas Cowboys, 28-23. Jacksonville may not be the most popular team, but many Canadian fans had their eyes on former CFL QB Nathan Rourke, who played a really good game, all things considered. The Lions hosted the New York Giants and squeezed out a close victory, 21-16.
The NFL preseason odds have the Jaguars as -3.5 favourites.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
At least as far as regular season history goes, the Jaguars don’t fare well at all against Detroit. The Lions mauled them last season 40-14, which was the Michigan-based outfit’s fourth straight conquering the Jags.
Of note, Jacksonville entered Dallas last Saturday as a -3.5 favourite, meaning their five-point win was good enough to cover the spread.
As for the Lions, they were an underdog against the G-Men. As such, the win also resulted in a cover.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 1 of the preseason between the Jaguars and Cowboys had some flavour to it. A 28-23 final with plenty of twists and turns made for an enjoyable contest even though fans got to see mostly backups and possible third-stringers.
Speaking of who played, Jacksonville opened the contest with buddying superstar Trevor Lawrence, who drove his side down the field for the game’s opening touchdown before taking the rest of the day off. Things got interesting when Victoria, B.C. native Nathan Rourke, formerly of the BC Lions, was sent into battle. Frankly, he looked pretty darn good. He went nine-for-17 for 153 yards, a rushing TD, a 103.3 rating, and a passing TD that, had it been a regular season contest, would be on the highlight reels all year long. He evaded two potential sacks on the same play before tossing a 21-yard strike to Qadree Ollison with a Cowboy dragging him to the turf. Amazing stuff that hopefully boosts his chances of staying with the team.
Jacksonville’s running game also performed admirably, as a platoon of backs tallied 145 yards. Tank Bigsby had a 34-yarder.
Detroit Lions
Detroit overcame a shaky start to defeat the Giants 21-16 in Week 1. At this time of year, there is always some good, some bad, and some ugly. That’s what preseason is all about. At least in Detroit’s case, they got the ugly out of the way early and were good late when it mattered most.
Sixth-year QB Nate Sudfeld was awarded significant playing time versus New York, with the coaching staff giving him a long leash. He opened the game with an interception and tossed another one in the second quarter. Neither pass was brilliant, but he still found a way to go 15-for-28 and 194 yards. Detroit was sparked into action fairly late when Maurice Alexander returned a punt 95 yards for a score, sending Ford Field into a frenzy. Quarterback Adrian Martinez would achieve the team’s other major score with a one-yard run with less than two minutes to go.
For the longest time, the absence of a running game has sunk Detroit, among other things. Things are changing. They ranked 11th in rushing attack in 2022 and the RB committee in Week 1 tallied 97 total yards.
JAC
DET