Game-by-game predictions for 2023 Jacksonville Jaguars schedule
Game-by-Game predictions for the Jacksonville Jaguars 2023 schedule: Weeks 4 and 5
Week 4 vs. Falcons: For their yearly trip to London, the Jaguars will play an Atlanta Falcons that telegraphed their intentions to run the ball and wear down other teams when they drafted Bijan Robinson eighth overall a few weeks ago. Although running backs no longer have the impact they had 30 years ago, they still have plenty of value in today's game. Having said that, Robinson is a special talent, and Atlanta couldn't pass up the chance to take the best player available when they were on the clock.
Robinson will be the focal point of the Falcons' offense and if he becomes the game-changer he was at Texas, Desmond Ridder's job will become considerably easier. Speaking of Ridder, Atlanta's trust in him is still high, which is why they passed up the chance to address the quarterback position in the draft.
The Jaguars will try to stymie Robinson and put the game on Ridder's shoulders (arm?) If the strategy works, Jacksonville will have won the game but there's a surprise upset every year, and it feels like this matchup has the potential to go in Atlanta's favor. Loss
Week 5 @ Bills: Because one game across the pond isn't enough, the Jaguars will be playing in London in back-to-back weeks. For their second bout, they'll face off against the Buffalo Bills. This will be a bout between AFC heavyweights, and it's hard to pick a winner right now but it's easy to lean toward the Jaguars.
Last season, the Bills might have leaned too much on Josh Allen to win games. They didn't run the ball as much as they should have and didn't make as many upgrades to their defense as they should have. The silver lining is that it kind of gave Buffalo a wake-up call.
General manager Brandon Beane got to work and drafted tight end Dalton Kincaid and offensive guard O'Cyrus Torrence in the first two rounds of the draft. Moreover, they managed to retain safety Jordan Poyer. Then again, the Jaguars have also added reinforcements. Although they lost right tackle Jawaan Taylor and defensive end Arden Key in free agency, they were able to bring back Andrew Wingard and tight end Evan Engram.
The Jaguars also added depth to most position groups in the draft and without a glaring weakness on the roster, they should hand the Bills a loss. This time though, they won't shut down their offense like they did in 2021 and will instead light up the scoreboard. Win