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Jacksonville at Atlanta Preseason Week 4 Lines & Expert Pick

Written by on August 29, 2016

NFL News and Rumors
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons are practically neighbors so they often face off in the preseason. That’s the case on Thursday night at the Georgia Dome in the preseason finale for both. It’s also the final preseason game ever in the building as Atlanta is moving to a new stadium next year. The Falcons are favored on NFL odds.

Let’s Take a Closer Look at the Jacksonville at Atlanta Preseason Week 4 Lines, Expert Pick & TV Info

When: Thursday, Sept. 7, 7 PM ET Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta TV: check local listings Stream: NFL.com Radio: Jacksonville / Atlanta Opening NFL Lines: Falcons -3 (41)

Jacksonville vs Atlanta Historic Betting Series

These teams didn’t play last preseason but that’s because they played in the regular season and for the most part, teams would prefer not to play a preseason game against a team it will then face in the regular season. The Falcons won in Jacksonville in Week 15 23-17 to end a six-game losing skid at the time. Julio Jones finished with nine receptions for 118 yards and a TD. The Falcons used a 31-yard pass interference penalty to set up a 33-yard field goal with about 10 minutes remaining, and then Shayne Graham added a 46-yarder with 1:42 remaining. Matt Ryan completed 22 of 35 passes for 246 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.

Why Bet on Jacksonville?

The Jags closed out their home preseason schedule with a 26-21 win over Cincinnati on Sunday. Blake Bortles was 10-for- 16 for 52 yards. Joe Banyard led the team with 54 yards rushing on 11 carries. Neal Sterling caught three passes for 31 yards and a TD. The Jaguars turned the ball over once and managed just 9 yards and one first down in the first quarter. The Jaguars’ first-team offense played the entire first half against the Bengals and ended up with 86 yards, three points and just five first downs. There wereissues with the offensive line and six penalties. The Bengals outgained the Jaguars 163-90 in the first half, pushing a 14-3 halftime lead to 21-3 with a 21-yard third-quarter touchdown pass from quarterback A.J. McCarron to wide receiver Alex Erickson. The Jaguars rallied with the game’s final 19 points. “The coaching staff and front office aren’t panicking, but at the same time being a competitor with all the buzz we definitely wanted to put our best foot forward. I think every guy in here, especially on the defensive side of the ball, can say that we didn’t go out there and play to our expectations,” safety Tashaun Gipson said. The game marked the Jaguars debut of Kelvin Beachum, who started at left tackle with Luke Joeckel starting at left guard. Either Beachum or Joeckel are expected to start at left tackle with the other at left guard – though Joeckel struggled at times in his first NFL start at guard on Sunday after playing well at tackle in the first two preseason games.

Why Bet on Atlanta?

The Falcons lost 17-6 to Miami last Thursday. Ryan completed 12 of 22 passes for 129 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Jones left in the second quarter with an ankle injury. The injury isn’t serious but you aren’t likely to see Jones in this game. Jones appeared to get banged up after bumping into Dolphins cornerback Bobby McCain while trying to catch Ryan deep ball. Jones limped to the sideline immediately after the play, which drew a 44-yard pass interference penalty on McCain. The Falcons also got bad news on first-round rookie safety Keanu Neal as he hurt his knee in the game and was to have surgery on Monday. He is out 3-4 weeks. Neal missed a tackle attempt on running back Arian Foster, then went to the ground in pain. This is the second injury this preseason for Neal, who also missed the preseason opener against Washington with a “trunk” injury. The Falcons already were down one strong safety with Neal’s backup, Kemal Ishmael, sidelined with a shoulder injury. With Neal out, the Falcons signed veteran safety Dashon Goldson. Goldson started 15 games last season for Washington last season and was lowest rated safety in the league by profootballfocus.com. He was an All-Pro as recently as 2012 and is a former two-time Pro Bowler. Goldson, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and turns 32 in September, was released by the Washington Redskins on March 7. Washington saved $8 million on its salary cap with the move. Meanwhile, after missing the last two exhibition games with a hamstring injury, Matt Bryant returned to practice on Sunday and kicked well, according to head coach Dan Quinn. Now that he’s back in action, the 41-year- old will compete with fellow veteran Shayne Graham for Atlanta’s kicking job.

Historic Betting Trends

Jaguars are 9-23 ATS in their last 32 games in September. Jaguars are 1-4- 1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. Falcons are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Thursday games. Falcons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in September. Falcons are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games. Falcons are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games overall.

My Expert Pick

Take Atlanta on NFL odds and the under.
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