Jacksonville Jaguars predictions: How are NFL reporters picking game vs. Dallas Cowboys?
The Jacksonville Jaguars have found themselves in the hunt for the NFL playoffs. There's a pretty big obstacle in the way this weekend: The 10-3 Dallas Cowboys.
The Jags are 5-8, but last week's win over the Tennessee Titans has them just two games out of first place in the AFC South. Trevor Lawrence is looking like a former No. 1 overall pick lately, throwing for a career-high 368 yards and three touchdowns last week. With Travis Etienne and Zay Jones as his prime offensive weapons, coach Doug Pederson is looking to double last year's win total.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, are reeling a bit despite their record. Yes, Dallas is on a four-game winning streak, but they needed a late rally from Dak Prescott, Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott to beat the one-win Houston Texans. Their defense is sure to test Lawrence with Micah Parsons, the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year, ready to make the QB's day a tough one.
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What do national NFL reporters and analysts think? Here are their predictions:
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Cowboys 27-20
Dallas got a wakeup call against at home and won't take Jacksonville lightly on the road while looking ahead to hosting the Eagles next week. The Jaguars' inept running game hurts here as Trevor Lawrence will need to throw often vs. Demarcus Lawrence and the Cowboys' strong pressure and coverage defense. On the other side, the Jaguars won't have coverage answers for CeeDee Lamb and can also get gashed by Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott.
Gary Davenport, Bleacher Report: Cowboys 28-23
The Jaguars looked great in dispatching the Tennessee Titans last week, and the Cowboys nearly laid the egg of the season against the Texans. But the Jaguars have struggled this season with stacking good performances, and the Dallas defense will be amply motivated to show that last week's shaky outing was a fluke.
The ability of Micah Parsons and Co. to harass Lawrence will play a big part here, with the Cowboys forcing a couple of miscues that pave the way for a seven-point win.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: Cowboys 27-21
Jacksonville remains consistently inconsistent. The Cowboys should be more focused after avoiding a disaster against the Texans.
Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Jaguars 24-23
The Jaguars have been wreaking havoc with division leaders, beating the Ravens and Titans in their past five games. The Cowboys were nearly upset last week. Nobody would consider this a massive upset, not the way Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars are playing.
Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com: Cowboys 27-24
It hurts me so much to pick against the Jaguars this week. They could absolutely re-enter the AFC South race -- even if they lose this game -- and aren't the sloppy Cowboys due for a loss? Trevor Lawrence is coming off the best game of his pro career, spinning it downfield with more conviction than even Dak Prescott. Dallas' defense isn't playing at its peak anymore, but even on a down day, the unit's so much better than this Jacksonville D. The Cowboys' ground attack is also vastly superior to the Jaguars' running game. It's not a fair fight for the quarterbacks.
Bill Bender, Sporting News: Cowboys 31-23
Doug Pederson was 4-7 against the Cowboys as the head coach for the Eagles from 2016-20. This Dallas team is trending toward another high seed in the NFC playoffs, and they have averaged 419.3 yards per game through a four-game winning streak. Dak Prescott keeps finding multiple ways to win.
Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk: Cowboys 31-17
The Cowboys sleepwalked their way through a win over the Texans, but I think they’ll be back to their dominant ways against the Jaguars.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Cowboys 34-28
The Jaguars are alive in the playoff race, while Dallas is trying to track down the Eagles in their division. Jacksonville is coming off an explosive offensive showing at Tennessee behind Trevor Lawrence. But this is a much tougher challenge. The Cowboys offense will put up points here against a bad Jacksonville defense. Look for a lot of points, but Dallas is the better team.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars vs. Cowboys predictions: NFL experts pick Week 15 game
