Jacksonville Jaguars @ Atlanta Falcons Matchup Preview 12/22/19: Analysis, Daily Fantasy
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The Jaguars are heading to Atlanta to take on the Falcons this Sunday. The Jaguars are coming off of an upset win over the Raiders in the Raiders’ last game in Oakland. Minshew pulled out the magic once more and proved he still has what it takes to lead his team to victory. The Jaguars pass rush got through the Raiders tough offensive line enough times to sack Carr 4 times, which doesn’t bode well for the Falcons considering they’re tied for the 7th most sacks allowed on the season. The Falcons looked good in their upset win over the 49ers and are going to be looking to continue their winning ways against the Jaguars. I think they have a good chance to do it with their strong passing offense against a pretty underwhelming Jaguars secondary. Click here for more details and betting information on the Jaguars @ Falcons matchup.
TV Schedule
Date: Sunday, December 22, 2019
Time: 10:00 AM PST
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Coverage: FOX
Injury Report
Jaguars: D.J. Hayden (Q), Nick O’Leary (Q), A.J. Bouye (Q), Calais Campbell (Q), Cam Robinson (Q), Gardner Minshew (Q), Brandon Linder (Q), Arby Jones (Q), Austin Calitro (Q), Josh Allen (Q), D.J. Chark (Q),
Falcons: Jamon Brown (Q), Luke Stocker (Q), Ricardo Allen (Q), Kenjon Barner (Q), Jack Crawford (Q), Julio Jones (Q), Ty Sambrailo (Q), Foye Oluokun (Q), James Carpenter (Q),
Jacksonville Jaguars Analysis
Minshew had been looking a little less-than-magical in his last few games but turned it around against the Raiders. He threw 17-29 for 201 yards, two touchdowns, and a rating of 102.8 points. The Raiders pass defense hasn’t been the best this season, but neither has the Falcons’ so there’s a definite possibility of Minshew continuing his hot streak this weekend. The Falcons rush defense is pretty middling as well, so they have a good offensive matchup overall. Fournette has had a couple of big games this season so it’s possible that he has another in this game. I think the weight of the offense lies heavily on Minshew this game. If he’s going to have another game like he did against the Raiders, I think the Jaguars have a solid chance at a win this week.
I think the question of who will win this game lies on the shoulders of Jacksonville’s defense. If they can contain the Falcons passing offense, they have a very solid chance at taking the win. The best way for them to do this would be through their pass rush, which has been one of the strongest facets of their team this season. The Jaguars have 43 sacks on the season, tied for the 4th most in the league. They had 4 sacks against the Raiders, who have only allowed 24, tied with Kansas City for the 5th fewest in the league. Clearly, the Jaguars pass rush is pretty strong, which bodes well for them against the Falcons who have allowed 43 sacks on the season, tied for 7th most in the league. This is going to be their best bet when it comes to slowing down the Falcons pass offense, which is tied for the 4th most yards per game on average. They won’t have to worry much about the Falcons rush offense as they’re a passing-heavy team, but they did have a relatively good running game against the 49ers. The Jaguars did a pretty good job slowing down Josh Jacobs in week 15, so I don’t think they’ll have a problem with the Falcons rush attack.
Jacksonville Jaguars Depth Chart
QB: Gardner Minshew
RB1: Leonard Fournette
RB2: Ryquel Armstead
WR1: Chris Conley
WR2: D.J. Chark
WR3: Dede Westbrook
TE: Geoff Swaim
Atlanta Falcons Analysis
The Falcons are coming off of a surprising upset win against the 49ers this past Sunday. The Falcons have had a very productive passing offense this season. The Falcons throw for an average 288.9 passing yards per game, the 4th most in the league. I think this will be their key to victory against the Jaguars. The Jaguars allow an average 96.1 passer rating, the 10th highest in the league, and 232.3 passing yards per game, the 14th most in the league. Matt Ryan will be throwing against a pretty middling, mediocre pass defense which should be all he needs to put up a lot of points (or at least enough to outscore the Jaguars) and net his team a win on Sunday. Their run game has taken a far backseat this season and they’ve been running a pretty one-sided offense, but that shouldn’t be a problem for them in this matchup. They will have to worry about the Jaguars pass rush, as the Falcons offensive line hasn’t been the best this season. However, I think they can still put up enough points to net a win even with the pressure coming from the Jaguars pass rush.
The Falcons defense has been their weak point this season. They’re in the bottom 10 for average passer rating allowed, average yards per game allowed, and average completion percentage allowed. Minshew had a good game last week against the Raiders, so he might be able to carry that momentum in to do some damage to the Falcons secondary. The Falcons might also have to look out for Fournette, who has had some big games this season. The Falcons have been a very middling rush defense this season, allowing an average 108.9 yards per game, so it’s totally possible for Fournette to break out against them. Overall, I think the Falcons will take this game as they will be able to hold the Jaguars enough to outscore them this weekend.
Atlanta Falcons Depth Chart
QB: Matt Ryan
RB1: Devonta Freeman
RB2: Brian Hill
WR1: Julio Jones
WR2: Calvin Ridley
WR3: Russell Gage
TE: Austin Hooper
Daily Fantasy
I think this game has the potential to be a high-scorer for the Falcons. The Falcons throw for an average 288.9 yards per game, the 4th most in the league. The Jaguars have a pretty mediocre pass defense and are missing their shutdown corner Jalen Ramsey who could have handled Julio Jones, so I’m expecting a lot of yards from this Falcons pass offense. Julio Jones would be a great start but if you have another Falcons receiver like Calvin Ridley you might want to consider starting them too. I don’t know if I would start anyone on the Jaguars. They haven’t been the most breakout offense as of late, and while I think this game has the potential to be close I just don’t see the Jaguars putting up a ton of points. I think the most fantasy points in this matchup are going to be found in the Falcons passing offense.
