The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost four straight regular-season meetings against Atlanta, but they've fared well against the Falcons in the preseason. Jacksonville is 9-6 against Atlanta in exhibition games and has won eight of the last 11 matchups. After losing their first three contests of the 2022 NFL preseason, the Jaguars will hope to end it on a high note when they visit the Falcons on Saturday. Atlanta split its first two exhibition games, defeating Detroit 27-23 on the road in its opener before suffering a 24-16 loss at the New York Jets last Monday.
Kickoff from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. Atlanta is a 4-point favorite in the latest Falcons vs. Jaguars odds at Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 37. Before making any Jaguars vs. Falcons picks or predictions, make sure you check out what SportsLine NFL expert Emory Hunt has to say.
Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007. He is a former running back at Louisiana-Lafayette and knows the game from a player's perspective. Hunt's dedication to analysis of all levels of college and professional football helped him start the USFL season 24-18, including a 12-6 record over the last five weeks.
In addition, Hunt has gone 18-4 on his last 22 NFL picks involving the Falcons, returning $1,372. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Hunt has zeroed in on Falcons vs. Jags and just locked in his picks and NFL predictions. You can head to SportsLine to see Hunt's picks. Here are the NFL odds and betting lines for Jags vs. Falcons:
- Falcons vs. Jaguars spread: Atlanta -4
- Falcons vs. Jaguars over/under: 37 points
- Falcons vs. Jaguars money line: Atlanta -200, Jacksonville +170
- ATL: Falcons are 0-9 against the spread in their last nine home games
- JAX: Jaguars are 0-6 ATS in their last six meetings with Atlanta
- Falcons vs. Jaguars picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Falcons can cover
With the Matt Ryan era over, Atlanta is handing the reins to Marcus Mariota, who gets another shot at being a starting quarterback in the NFL. The 28-year-old Mariota, who was selected by Tennessee with the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, has spent the last 2 1/2 seasons as a backup with the Titans and Las Vegas. In the Falcons' two preseason games, the signal-caller has completed 8-of-12 pass attempts for 168 yards and a touchdown while also running for a score.
Mariota is expected to only play a few series on Saturday, so rookie Desmond Ridder should see plenty of action. The 22-year-old from the University of Cincinnati, who was taken in the third round of this year's draft, has gone 20-of-35 for 246 yards and a pair of TDs this preseason. Running back Cordarrelle Patterson recorded 1,600 all-purpose yards last season, but has only been on the field for one snap in each of Atlanta's exhibition games, so he could get more playing time against Jacksonville.
Why the Jaguars can cover
Former Clemson teammates Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne Jr. have yet to play a regular-season game together for Jacksonville since being taken first and 25th overall, respectively, in the 2021 NFL Draft, but they've both seen a fair amount of action in the team's last two preseason contests. Lawrence has completed 20-of-33 pass attempts for 228 yards and a touchdown, while Etienne has gained 52 yards on 17 carries and recorded another 10 on one reception.
After spending last year on the practice squad, wide receiver Tim Jones could earn a spot on the roster with his performance this preseason. The undrafted 24-year-old from Southern Mississippi has made 11 catches for 116 yards in the Jaguars' three games, leading the team with five receptions in each of the last two. Christian Kirk, who signed a four-year, $72 million contract in March after registering a career-high 982 yards with Arizona last year, made his preseason debut last week and hauled in five passes for 54 yards.
How to make Jaguars vs. Falcons picks
For Saturday's game, Hunt is leaning Over the total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. You can find out what it is, and see which side to back, at SportsLine.
Who wins Falcons vs. Jaguars? And which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Jaguars vs. Falcons spread you need to jump on Saturday, all from the expert who's 18-4 on Atlanta picks, and find out.
