Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings Preseason NFL Picks & Predictions 8/18/2018

Saturday, August 18, 2018

U.S. Bank Stadium

Get todays NFL Odds & Lines on this game

The Jacksonville Jaguars travel to U.S. Bank Stadium to take on the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, August 18, 2018. The opening line for this game has Minnesota as 3 point favorites. The over/under has been set at 38. The Jaguars had an ATS record of 11-8-0 last season while their over/under record was 9-10-0. The Vikings had an over/under record of 9-9-0 and they were 11-7-0 against the spread.

Valuable Jacksonville Jaguars Betting Trends

The Jacksonville Jaguars were 9-10-0 against the over/under last season

The Jacksonville Jaguars were 11-8-0 against the spread last year

Important Minnesota Vikings Betting Trends

The Minnesota Vikings were 9-9-0 against the over/under last season

The Minnesota Vikings were 11-7-0 against the spread last year

Key Jacksonville Jaguars Injuries

07/25/18 TE David Grinnage Knee is out indefinitely
07/20/18 DE Dante Fowler Jr. Suspension 1 game suspension (eligible to return 9/16 vs New England)

Key Minnesota Vikings Injuries

08/03/18 LB Kentrell Brothers Suspension 4- game suspension (elgible to return 10/7 vs Philadelphia)
08/03/18 T Mike Remmers Ankle is "?" Sunday vs San Francisco
08/03/18 C Pat Elflein Ankle PUP

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Jacksonville Jaguars were 5th in the NFL in points scored with 417 last season. They ran 1,078 plays last year for 5,855 yards, which ranked them 6th in the league in total offense. The Jaguars averaged 5.4 yards per play, which was 11th in the National Football League. As a team they accumulated a total of 332 1st downs last year, placing them 7th overall as an offensive unit. On the ground Jacksonville ran for 2,262 yards as a team, which ranked 1st in the NFL. They ran 527 times last year, averaging 4.3 yards per carry as a rushing unit. The Jaguars were penalized on offense 112 times for 936 yards last season, which had them 11th in the league in penalties. Blake Bortles threw for 3,687 yards last season. He completed 315 passes on 523 attempts for a completion percentage of 60.2%. His quarterback rating last year was 84.7. He averaged 7 yards per pass attempt and 11.7 yards per completion.

Defensive Statistics

Jacksonville was 2nd in the league in points allowed on defense with 268 last year. They surrendered a total of 4,578 yards on D, which was 2nd in the NFL. The Jaguars were ranked 1st in yards per play allowed with 4.6. Their pass defense gave up 4.8 net yards per pass attempt, placing them 1st in the league as a unit. Opposing offenses completed 289 passes on 509 attempts against the Jacksonville Jaguars defense last season, placing them 1st and 4th in the National Football League. The Jacksonville pass defense also gave up a total of 2,718 yards through the air, which was 1st overall in total pass defense. Their rushing defense allowed 429 attempts for 1,860 yards last year, putting them in 21st place in the league against the run. The Jaguars committed 112 penalties for 1050 yards on the defensive side of the ball last season. That ranked them 29th in the NFL. They gave up a score on 23.9% of possessions on defense, which was 1st in the league.

Special Teams Stats

Jacksonville was ranked 14th in the league in punt returns last season with 35. They accumulated 325 punt return yards and averaged 9.3 yards per return, which was 8th in the NFL. Their longest punt return last year was 72 yards. They returned 25 kicks for 551 yards on special teams, ranking 29th in kick return yardage. The Jaguars averaged 22 yards per kick return and had a long of 68 yards last year. They were 9th in the league in all-purpose yards with 6,854. The Jacksonville Jaguars attempted 35 field goals last season and made 30, which was 12th in the National Football League. Their kickers had a field goal percentage of 85.7%. Jacksonville Jaguars kickers made 90% of their extra points, going 37 for 41 last year. Their punters totaled 3,835 yards on 88 punts, averaging 43.6 yards per punt. That placed them 26th in the NFL in punting average.

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Minnesota Vikings ran for 1,957 yards as a unit last year, which ranked 7th in the league. They ran 501 times, averaging 3.9 yards per rush as a unit. The Vikings were penalized on offense 100 times for 949 yards last season, which had them 22nd in the NFL in penalties. They were 10th in the National Football League in points scored with 382. They ran 1,055 plays last year for 5,710 yards, which ranked them 11th in the NFL in total offense. The Vikings averaged 5.4 yards per play, which was 13th in the league. As a team they accumulated a total of 334 1st downs last season, ranking them 6th overall as an offensive unit. Kirk Cousins completed 347 throws while attempting 540 passes for a completion percentage of 64.3% last year. He passed for 4,093 yards. He averaged 11.8 yards per completion and 7.6 yards per pass attempt. His quarterback rating last season was 93.9.

Defensive Statistics

The Vikings rush defense gave up 364 attempts for 1,337 yards last season, putting them in 2nd place in the NFL against the run. They had 105 penalties for 928 yards on defense last year. That placed them 20th in the league. They allowed a score on 27.9% of possessions on defense, which was 3rd in the NFL. Minnesota was 1st in the NFL in points surrendered on defense with 252. They gave up a total of 4,415 yards on D, which was 1st in the league. The Vikings were 2nd in yards per play allowed with 4.6. Their pass defense allowed 5.2 net yards per pass attempt, ranking them 2nd in the National Football League. Opponent offenses completed 324 throws on 555 attempts against the Minnesota defense last season, ranking them 7th and 19th in the league. The Minnesota Vikings pass defense also surrendered a total of 3,078 yards in the air, which was 2nd overall in total pass defense.

Special Teams Stats

The Minnesota Vikings tried 38 field goals last season and made 32, which was 9th in the league. Their kickers had a FG percentage of 84.2%. Minnesota kickers made 87% of their extra points, going 34 for 39 last season. Their punters accumulated 2,995 yards on 71 punts, averaging 42.2 yards per punt. That ranked them 32nd in the NFL in punting average. Minnesota was 6th in the NFL in punt returns with 39 last year. They totaled 372 punt return yards and averaged 9.5 yards per return, which was 7th in the league. Their longest punt return last season was 46 yards. They returned 25 kicks for 619 yards on special teams, placing them 21st in kick return yardage. The Vikings averaged 24.8 yards per kick return and had a long of 39 yards last season. They were 8th in the National Football League in all-purpose yards with 6,877.

Who will win tonight's Jaguars/Vikings NFL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Jaguars +3

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