Falcons (4-6) at Jaguars (2-8)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida TV: CBS
Tipico Sportsbook wire: Falcons by 1 ⁄2
Falcons’ keys to victory: Atlanta must clean up protection issues for QB Matt Ryan, who was hit or sacked eight times against New England. Jaguars edge rushers Josh Allen and Dawuane Smoot are having under-the-radar seasons and could disrupt the flow of the offense and make this a close one. TE Kyle Pitts could be primed to take advantage of the Jags’ secondary. At times they haven’t covered tight ends well like C.J. Uzomah and Mike Gesicki, who accumulated 95 and 115 yards, respectively, against them.
Jaguars’ keys to victory: The Jags have to be more disciplined and cut down on their penalties. They’ve hurt themselves by consistently putting QB Trevor Lawrence in third-and-long situations and helping offenses stay on the field with crucial penalties on defense. Additionally, the Jags’ offense needs to be more productive on early downs. With the Falcons’ rushing defense being ranked 25th, leaning on RB James Robinson on the first two downs could set the Jags up well along with getting TE Dan Arnold in space to take advantage of the Falcons’ iffy secondary.
Matchup to watch: Falcons OT Kaleb McGary vs. Jags’ Smoot. Atlanta needs the struggling McGary to step up. That won’t exactly be easy against Smoot though, who is having his best season.
Who wins? Both teams lack talent and are coming off terrible losses. However, the Jags’ defense could bounce back and, behind the home crowd, be the deciding factor in this one.
Jaguars, 24-21