Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars: Spread
 Premium Pick: Buffalo +5.5
I believe that the Buffalo Bills are a playoff team this year. The reason that they are a 5.5 point underdog is because they are still being evaluated based on their success last year as a 7-9 team, compared to Jacksonville who went 11-5. Trent Edwards gained 20 pounds in the off season and is looking to develop into a premium QB. |
| He was impressive in his season debut completing 19/30 passes (63.3%) for 215 yards, a touchdown and a rating of 95.8. He’s got a lot of targets with 2 solid receivers including Lee Evans, Roscoe Parrish and talented rookie tight end Robert Royal as well as running back Marshawn Lynch. The Bills put up 34 points on the board last week, which tied them for fourth place with Atlanta. Defensively Buffalo made 2 significant changes in the offseason. First, they obtained linebacker Kawika Mitchell who played a significant role in the Giants run to the Super Bowl. He recorded his first sack in a Bills uniform last week. Second, they added Marcus Stroud, one of the league’s toughest defensive tackles. He had 6 tackles in his first game last week. He played his entire 7 year career with the Jags so one can only imagine how his knowledge of Jacksonville’s playbook will help the Bills against his former team. Buffalo is tied for third place in defense, allowing only 10 points in its first game.
Jacksonville, unlike Buffalo, is coming off a disappointing loss to the Tennessee Titans. Jacksonville managed to score only 10 points in week 1, tying them for 26th place, due to very little success on the ground, rushing for a mere 33 yards. Jacksonville only netted 189 yards, meanwhile allowing 309. One aspect that is definitely in Jacksonville’s favour is the fact that Buffalo was 31st in the league in stopping the run in 2007. This is the main reason the Bills acquired Stroud. In week 1, they improved themselves to ninth in the league, allowing 85 yards on the ground. Defensively Jacksonville allowed 309 yards against the Tennessee Titans. They are ranked 16th in that aspect but they obtained this rank against an offensively challenged team. The Buffalo Bills can run the ball as well as Tennessee but have a much stronger passing game. Jacksonville’s offensive line is quite depleted as they lost two starting guards in week 1 on top of already missing their starting and backup center. Expect Marcus Stroud and the Bills to have significant success applying pressure on David Garrard and therefore limit his impact on offense. Don’t be surprised if Buffalo wins this one. There is significant value in betting moneyline on this game as it pays 3 to 1. Prediction: Buffalo 24 Jacksonville 20 |
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