The Jacksonville Jaguars enter their regular-season opener Sunday as road underdogs against the Miami Dolphins. A Jacksonville defense that ranked seventh-worst in the NFL last season against the pass figures to have its hands full against the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane and the rest of Miami’s high-octane offense.
Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com released his Week 1 picks for the 2024 season, and as you might expect, he’s favoring several underdogs in what is often the most unpredictable slate of the NFL calendar.
In a surprise pick, Prisco included the Dolphins among his teams on upset alert. Here was his reasoning and score prediction:
This will be a high-scoring game. Both teams should be really good on offense, while the defenses might take time. Miami is fast, which will cause problems for the Jacksonville secondary. But the Jaguars will also score against a Miami pass rush that is missing some key players. The Jaguars will win it late with a field goal.
Pick: Jaguars 34, Dolphins 31
The Jaguars could become a trendy NFL sleeper pick in 2024. The team gave quarterback Trevor Lawrence a lucrative contract extension this offseason, tying him to the franchise through 2030. And while he’ll be breaking in some new weapons in veteran receiver Gabe Davis and rookie Brian Thomas Jr., the Jags have been a dangerous team the past couple of years with a healthy Lawrence under center. They were in contention for the AFC’s No. 1 seed through Week 12 last season before Lawrence suffered a nasty ankle sprain.
Jacksonville’s lack of depth and continuity in the secondary has been well documented throughout training camp, and the Dolphins have been fast starters under head coach Mike McDaniel, starting 3-0 in each of the past two seasons.
It would certainly take a shootout, but the Jaguars will have better than a puncher’s chance down in Miami Sunday if the defense can make some plays.
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