NFL Betting – Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins Preseason Week 3

If you’re healthy you’re going to play. At least that’s what the coaches for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins said ahead of Thursday’s preseason matchup. Starters typically get their most work during the Week 3 dress rehearsal, and the Jags will show off their new quarterback for the first time.

Nick Foles is the unquestioned starter supplanting Blake Bortles. Meanwhile, the Fins are still trying to figure out their QB competition. We’ll see plenty of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen with the Fins running out of time to figure it out.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins

Date and Time: Thursday, August 22, 2019, 8 p.m. ET

Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL

Opening NFL Odds: Dolphins -2.5, O/U 36.5

Jaguars at Dolphins TV Coverage: FOX

Odds Analysis

It looks like the Jags are taking a different approach to the preseason this year. After going 3-1 through the 2018 exhibition slate, they staggered during the regular season and were one of the biggest disappointments after showing so much promise with a run to the AFC Championship in 2017. After getting blanked in the preseason opener, the Jags at least scored last week, though they lost 24-10 to the Eagles to fall to 0-2 straight up and ATS. The Jags opened at +2.5 and the number bounced around before settling at its current +3. Expect them to be better offensively with Foles and the No. 1 offense ready to play.

Jacksonville Jaguars

We found out one thing through Jacksonville’s first two preseason games: they don’t have a reliable backup quarterback. Gardner Minshew started both games and looks like the No. 2 by default. He played better last week throwing for 202 yards on 19 of 29 passing. He threw for just 46 yards in a shutout loss in the opener. A positive sign is that he did improve, tightening his grip on the backup job.

A total of 10 points in two games isn’t going to get it done. There is a reason for that, however. The Jags sat 31 players last week, including Foles and Leonard Fournette. That will change on Thursday when the starting unit makes its first appearance, and that includes the offensive line. Foles, Fournette, Dede Westbrook and others will look to inspire the offense after it racked up a total of 362 yards in the first two games.

There is a lot of pressure on Foles to turn the offense around. The Bortles era ended with a thud and the Jags were forced to go in a new direction. He is a veteran with a Super Bowl ring and MVP, but a new team, teammates and coaching staff require that he get as much work as possible. Doug Marrone hasn’t said how long Foles will play, but he would like to see some production.

Miami Dolphins

There is a saying in football that if you have two quarterbacks you really have none. Well, the Dolphins have two and the battle for the starting gig is still playing out. Brian Flores is saying all the right things about the competition, but his actions speak volumes. The new coach named Fitzpatrick the starter against the Jags, which is a clear sign that the veteran has the edge in the competition.

Rosen has seen a bulk of the action in earlier preseason games and played well. He was victimized by several drops in last week’s loss to Tampa Bay, yet still completed 10 of 18 for 102 yards. Rosen opened by going 13 of 20 for 191 yards with a pick in a win over Atlanta. Fitz hasn’t done a lot to gain separation in the battle. He was just 3 of 9 for 20 yards in three series last week and has completed only 35.7 percent of his passes in two games.

While the Jags are set to play their first-team offense, the Dolphins will attempt to patch up their sieve-like O line that allowed five sacks last week. And the group will likely be without injured starters Kenyan Drake, Albert Wilson and DeVante Parker. They had a tough time scoring points last week and it could be more difficult on Thursday against the Jags’ top defenders.

Bet Jaguars at Dolphins at BookMaker.eu

The Jags are hoping to get a few scoring drives from their No. 1 offense, which plays together for the first time this preseason. A number of key defensive players will also take the field, giving Jacksonville a big edge, at least in the first half. The total opened low and it won’t take much to reach the current 37. If in doubt take the points, and that’s what I’m going to do in this one. I’m also counting on the clubs surpassing the total.

NFL Score Prediction: Jaguars 23, Dolphins 16

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com