Eagles vs. Jaguars Game Predictions

The problem with forecasting the Philadelphia Eagles isn’t that we don’t know what they’re capable of.

The reigning Super Bowl champions aren’t some terrible team that’s prone to getting blown out. At the very least, they’ve been in all of their games this year. They were even the ones blowing out the Giants in Week 6.

And had the Eagles merely held on to a 17-0 lead last week, a lot of people would be feeling really confident in this team moving forward.

But that’s not the reality of the situation. The Eagles did drop a game they had no business losing.

The problem with making predictions with this team, then, is not about what they’re capable of ... but when they’re capable of it.

For their sake, the Eagles better find themselves capable against a Jaguars team that’s really struggling recently. In their last three matchups, Jacksonville has allowed 30 points per game and has only scored just over nine points per game. That’s very bad. #Analysis.

The much-maligned Blake Bortles has obviously contributed to the Jags’ issues. Jacksonville finally decided to bench him last week ... only to announce he’d be their starter for this London game. It’s actually not the craziest move given that he’s thrown eight touchdowns to one interception in his last three games overseas.

In an Eagles season that’s been frustrating, it would be very fitting for Bortles to ineplxicably torch Philadelphia’s defense. We already saw Marcus Mariota do this to Jim Schwartz’s unit earlier this year. The fact that Malcolm Jenkins gave Bortles some extra motivation doesn’t help to feel less uneasy.

It’s very difficult to have confidence in this Eagles team right now after seeing them lose the way they did against the Panthers.

But you know what? I’m going to say the Eagles bounce back. This is a team that’s struggled to create turnovers this season. Some of that stuff is just luck. And maybe the Eagles are due for some picks and/or fumble recoveries while playing a Jaguars team that ranks second in the league in total giveaways.

Another reason why I have some level of faith in the Eagles is because Nelson Agholor might be able to finally get going. Jacksonville is down to their third string option at nickel cornerback: rookie safety Ronnie Harrison. The Jaguars are without three of their top four corners in general. A struggling Eagles offense needs to take advantage.

Ultimately, my optimism is tempered, as you can see in my final score prediction. I don’t think the Eagles turn in a pretty performance. I’m expecting another ugly game and it’ll hardly be shocking if Philadelphia manages to lose once again. But one of the biggest deciding factors in this prediction is that the Eagles have Carson Wentz and he’s much better than Bortles. I just can’t take Bortles over Wentz.

Suggested format:

Score prediction:

Bold prediction:

My predictions:

Score prediction: 20-19, Eagles win.

Bold prediction: Jalen Mills logs a pick six.

Fan predictions:

Bleeding Green Nation FanPulse (survey of Eagles fans): Eagles favored by 4 points

Big Cat Country FanPulse (survey of Jaguars fans): Eagles favored by 8 points

Leave your own predictions in the comments.