Baltimore Ravens (2-0 SU, 2-0 ATS) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS)
Week 3 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 9:30PM EST
Where: Wembley Stadium, London, England
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: BAL -4/JAC +4
Over/Under Total: 39.5
The Baltimore Ravens will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in week three action from London at Wembley Stadium on Sunday morning (our time). The Ravens have started the season in fine fashion, winning both of their games and only giving up ten combined points in the process. On Sunday, they went to 2-0 with a 24-10 win over the Browns in their home-opener. Jacksonville cooled down some in week one, following a dominant win over Houston, with a bad 37-16 loss to their division rival Tennessee. They look for better in London this week.
Baltimore looks pretty good. Their offense is going to get better the more QB Joe Flacco works his way back from shoulder surgery. And the defense is starting to look like the units that were on some of those really good Ravens teams of the past. After winning the Super Bowl after the 2012 season, they've been pretty mediocre. You could sense they were setting up to make a major move in 2017 and so far, they look to be one of the top teams in the conference. Let's face it though; beating the Bengals and Browns is hardly grounds to signal a revival. But some good signs are in place.
The Ravens turned Flacco loose some in week two, as he was 25-for-34 with 217 yards, along with two touchdowns and a pick. RB Javorious Allen has taken a bigger hand in things and on Sunday, he ran for 66 yards and caught five passes, including a TD. Alex Collins had some nice runs, as did Terrance West, who also ran for a score. Aerially, TE Benjamin Watson was big with 91 yards, though Jeremy Maclin was really quiet and Mike Wallace has yet to make an impact yet this season. The offense also suffered a bad injury blow, with Pro Bowl guard Marshall Yanda going down for the season with an ankle injury.
The defense played a big role in the Baltimore win on Sunday, as they did the previous week. On the day, the defense secured five turnovers, with LB Tyus Bowser and secondary members Eric Weddle, Brandon Carr, and Ladarius Webb all hauling in interceptions. Bowser added a sack, along with pass-rusher Terrell Suggs who also had one. Linebacker CJ Mosley continues to grow in stature after another big day. The additions in the secondary of Carr and Tony Jefferson look to have already taken hold. Again, we want to temper our enthusiasm after they dominated a Cincy team that ended up canning their offensive coordinator and a Browns team that was dealing with personnel issues. But initial signs are extremely positive.
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Week two was a big disappointment for the Jaguars. Week one offered so much promise, with the offense looking better and a playmaking defense that ran Houston out of their own building. Against Tennessee, we saw the old Jaguars—a flaccid offense and mistake-prone play on both sides of the ball. It will be interesting to see where they can take it from here, especially against a Baltimore team that looks tough.
Blake Bortles was not on-point on Sunday against Tennessee. He made a nice connection with receivers Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee, but most of that came after the Titans took a 30-3 lead and two picks were also crucial. Losing WR Allen Robinson for extended time will not help. The arrival of rookie Leonard Fournette offered promise and will likely work out in the long run, but a rookie like him in this offense will have up and down performances. On Sunday, he was underwhelming with just 40 yards, though he did run for a score. Chris Ivory continues to be a nice weapon, but the offense as a whole looked to be a meandering group on Sunday and an overall disappointment in their home-opener.
After a game where the Jaguars defense was in full-command, they weren't able to turn the corner in week two. They gave up almost 400 yards to the Tennessee offense and were far less impactful than they were against Houston. There were penalties and mistakes throughout the game. Myles Jack had the only sack on the game, as opposed to the feeding frenzy from the previous week. And after the D-line thrived in week one, they applied very little pressure and allowed huge holes to be opened against them, as the Titans ran the ball really well, even with DeMarco Murray not getting a lot of work.
These games are tough, with this being across the pond in London. For what it's worth, this is Jacksonville's fifth appearance in London. They've won their last two games there, which is noteworthy with the Jags having registered so few wins overall in the last few seasons. This is Baltimore's first-ever trip to play abroad. I see a better performance from Jacksonville this week, with their defense playing with more energy to notch the cover in London.
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