Do the Jaguars Have a Legitimate Shot to Win Week 10?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 2-7 and will face one of the best teams in the National Football League on Sunday. They might have a chance to pull off an upset.

Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson on the sidelines against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

After facing the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles over the last two weeks, the Jacksonville Jaguars will play another one of the top teams in the league. After narrow losses against talented teams, the Jaguars aim to pull off an upset against the Minnesota Vikings at home this week.

Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News believes the Vikings will win by double-digits. Iyer predicts the Vikings will win by a score of 30-20. He cites the Vikings’ pass rush as one of the primary reasons he picked them to win.

“This is a terrible spot for Jacksonville,” Iyer said. “Minnesota's pass rush will be fearless in getting after Trevor Lawrence, as the Jaguars won't run enough or well enough early and are down a key weapon to beat their defense in Christian Kirk.

The Vikings should have no trouble getting Justin Jefferson to explode downfield for Sam Darnold, but this is a game to also get Kevin O'Connell's supporting pass-catchers to go off, too.”

Bill Bender of The Sporting News also picked the Vikings to win by a score of 28- 21. 

“The Vikings stopped a two-game losing streak in Week 10, and Sam Darnold will look to continue his hot streak,” Bender said. “He averages 263 yards with six TDs and three interceptions in his past three games.

"He might make a mistake or two on the road against the Jaguars, but this team continues to make too many mistakes. Jacksonville is 1-4 S/U when they have at least two turnovers, and Minnesota should be able to force a few miscues on the road.”

At 2-7, nearly no one has confidence in the Jaguars, especially as they face one of the league’s best teams for the third consecutive week. 

Ben Rolfe of Pro Football Network predicts the Vikings will win 27-20.  “The Minnesota Vikings were far from convincing on Sunday Night Football, but they ultimately won despite their offensive missteps,” Rolfe said.

“The underlying metrics still tell us that this is a top-five team that is just having a tough few games coming out of the bye. 

“In contrast, the Jaguars are a team that cannot get out of its own way week in and week out. The Vikings have the edge offensively and defensively, ranking 12th and third compared to 15th and 31st, respectively.

"Minnesota has also faced the fifth-hardest schedule to this point, while Jacksonville has had the 15th-toughest. All the metrics tell us to take the Vikings here, but the eye test in recent weeks will rightly make people nervous with the way the offensive line is playing.”

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