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Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) at Wembley Stadium, London, England
NFL Week 8: 9:30 ET on Sunday, October 28, 2018
It’s a battle of two teams that made the playoffs last season, as the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars travel to London to battle in Wembley Stadium on Sunday. This is a battle of two teams that have disappointed to this point, especially Jacksonville, who has lost three straight entering the game. These two teams have faced each other only five times, with the Jaguars leading the all-time series, 3-2-0. However, Philadelphia has won the last two, including most recently in 2014.
Eagles Blow Late Lead, Fall to Panthers, 27-17
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The Philadelphia Eagles found themselves dominating the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, leading by 17 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Eagles could not hold the lead, giving up 21 unanswered points in the 21-17 loss.
Carson Wentz played well, throwing for 310 yards and a pair of touchdowns. This is the third game in his last four where he has had at least 300 yards passing and has thrown for over 1500 yards since returning from an injury that sidelined him for the first couple of games of the season. The QB has continued his high level of accuracy, tossing 10 touchdowns with only one interception.
Since Jay Ajayi tore his ACL, the running game has been a challenge. Wendell Smallwood ran for just 32 yards last weekend, and he only has 233 rushing yards, which leads the team. Zach Ertz led the team in receiving, gaining 138 yards, giving him 618 for the season.
The Eagles pass defense has struggled mightily, giving up 269 passing yards to Cam Newton last week, but they have allowed the sixth lowest number of points in the NFL at 19.7. The Eagles are averaging 22 points per game while averaging 362.9 yards. The defense is allowing 355.5 yards per game, while only allowing 85.7 yards per contest.
Jaguars Drop Third Straight, Bortles Pulled
The Jacksonville Jaguars dropped their third straight game on Sunday, falling at home 20-7 to the Tennessee Titans. Blake Bortles found himself pulled after fumbling the ball twice, replaced by Cody Kessler, who did not provide much of an upgrade in the loss. Kessler threw for a touchdown, but also fumbled and threw an interception. Whether Bortles returns this week is not known.
The running game has not been much better. With Fournette hurting, T.J. Yeldon has taken over and he has struggled. In his 12 carries last week, he rushed for just 28 yards. Yeldon has rushed for a total of 327 yards. With Bortles struggling mightily, it has hurt Dede Westbrook who has just 55 yards receiving over the last two games and has 404 total yards receiving this season.
Despite the loss, played a solid game. They are allowing only 20.9 points per game, but the offense has been terrible, averaging only 16.6 points per game. They are rushing for 98.6 yards per game and average 355.2 of total offense per game. The defense has been impressive, allowing only 179.7 yards per game and 301.6 yards of total offense.
Trends:
Philadelphia:
- 6-2 ATS in their last eight games in October.
- 1-5 ATS in their last five games in Week 8.
- 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall.
Jacksonville:
- 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games in Week 8.
- 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.
- 1-4 ATS in the last five games in October.
The Winner Prediction
Philadelphia is not looking like the team that went to the Super Bowl last season, but they are still trying to get their starting QB back to the form he showed last season. A lack of a running game has made things tough for Wentz, but he has performed well and that gives them a clear advantage in this contest.
The Jaguars offense is a total mess right now, and their defense cannot cover for that any longer. Look for Philadelphia to take charge early and win.
The Pick: Philadelphia Eagles -3.0 (-120)
The Total
It isn’t often that you look at an over/under of 42 and think it will go under, but the Jaguars offense is just that bad. That makes the under the much smarter bet. The total for these two offenses is 38.6 while the defenses combine for 40.6. that makes the under an even smarter bet.
The Pick: Under 42.0 (-110)