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Expert Picks
The hook may come back to bite me here, but I don't care much about the Jags' experience playing in London. Jacksonville has been outscored three to one over its last three games, while Philadelphia is coming off an embarrassing loss to Carolina. The Jags defense is nothing to sneeze at, but the Eagles are capable on that side of the ball, too. And that's not to mention the fact that Philly clearly brings in the more superior offense. Give me the defending Super Bowl champions, even if they're not playing like it week-to-week.
Eagles QB Carson Wentz has played really well since coming back from injury, getting better every week. He has a 10-1 touchdown-interception ratio. The Jaguars would give the logos off the side of their helmets to have a quarterback play that well. There are some issues with the Jags this year, most of them stem from an offense that can't sustain drives and turns the ball over. Expect the Eagles to right some wrongs in this one.
Jacksonville is making its sixth trip across the Atlantic to play in London, and it has won and covered the last three trips. They know what needs to be done to prepare for a trip like this. The Eagles have never made this trip before. Because of that, I feel like the Jags have a homefield advantage in London that they might not even enjoy at home. Take the Jags to bounce back this week.
The public is keeping a lid on this spread because Jacksonville plays annually in London while the experience is a first for Philly. Were the game being staged stateside, the number might be four, given the Jaguars’ stagnant, injury-torn offense that led to QB Blake Bortles’ benching last Sunday. He gets the start, but Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers could not make chicken salad out of this chicken poop. The Eagles did shut out Carolina for three quarters last Sunday before collapsing. The former could happen and the latter likely won’t against the lifeless Jags. Injuries to Jax cornerbacks Tyler Patmon (neck) and D.J. Hayden (toe) could force undrafted rookie Quentin Meeks into duty.
The Eagles should bounce back against the Jaguars and Blake Bortles, who stinks and should have been benched this week. Jacksonville has given up 30 points a game the past three weeks. There's something really wrong with that team.
The Jaguars are in disarray, having been outscored 57-0 in the first half during their three-game skid. Blake Bortles gets another start and that is good news for the Eagles' defense, which just got embarrassed in a late-game collapse versus Carolina. Lay it with the more cohesive team.