The Jacksonville Jaguars’ regular season is set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET against the Washington Commanders. After rough seasons in 2020 and 2021, the Jaguars are hoping to start 2022 on a positive note with a road victory in Week 1.
Jacksonville has maintained a mostly clean bill of health through training camp and four preseason games, and with new talent across the board on both sides of the ball, the team appears well-positioned to turn heads in 2022.
Here are our predictions for the Jaguars’ matchup in Washington:
Adam Stites' pick:
You truly never know which Carson Wentz will be under center on any given Sunday. Last season, he finished with a passer rating above 125 three times, but a 76.5 rating across two games against the Jaguars.
In Washington he’s behind a relatively solid offensive line with a good running back behind him in Antonio Gibson and a respectable group of receivers with Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and first-round rookie Jahan Dotson.
A big game from Wentz wouldn’t be that surprising. But given his weird struggles with Jacksonville last year, the Commanders’ tendency to start slow under Ron Rivera, and the bevy of new talent in Jacksonville, I’ve got Jacksonville edging Washington.
Jaguars 23, Commanders 17
John Dillon's pick:
This is an intriguing matchup between two teams with a lot in common. Both defenses are expected to lead the way while the pair of talented offenses are unproven and may take some time to come into their own. The Jaguars appear to have a slight quarterback advantage, but if Carson Wentz is set for a resurgent 2022 campaign, he could get off to a hot start against the Jaguars’ secondary.
If Wentz’s offensive weapons start to click, the Jaguars will need to score enough to keep pace with the Commanders, which will prove to be a tough task against Washington’s top-tier front seven.
This game looks like it is shaping up to be a defensive battle, but the absence of Chase Young up-front for Washington may give Jacksonville a slight defensive advantage. Expect the pass rush to be dominant for both teams with a heavy dose of the run game from the Jaguars as they look to give Travis Etienne Jr. the first meaningful carries of his career.
Jaguars 17, Commanders 10
