The Jacksonville Jaguars finished last season with a record of 9-8 which led to an AFC South Division Championship and a spot in the AFC Playoffs. The Jaguars defeated the Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 31-30 in the Wild Card round but were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional round by a score of 20-27.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys finished last season with a record of 12-5 which led to a 2^nd place finish in the NFC East and a spot in the NFC Playoffs. The Cowboys defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round by a score of 31-14 but were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 12-19 in the Divisional round.

BookMaker has the Jacksonville Jaguars listed as 4-point favorites on the road against the Dallas Cowboys and has set the total for the over/under plays at 38 points. Which team will start the NFL preseason off with a win? Let’s take a closer look at how these teams played last year.

Jacksonville Jaguars Team Preview

The Jacksonville Jaguars finished last season with an AFC South Championship and a spot in the AFC Playoffs with a record of 9-8. Jacksonville defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round by a score of 31-30 before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional round by a score of 20-27. The Jaguars were 10-9 ATS overall, 5-5 ATS on the road, and 1-4 ATS as a favorite last season.

Offensively, Jacksonville ranked 9^th in points scored in the NFL with an average of 23.95 points per game. The Jaguars ranked 14^th in rushing yards with an average of 125.11 rushing yards per game. Jacksonville ranked 10^th in passing yards with an average of 233.53 passing yards per game.

Defensively, the Jacksonville Jaguars ranked 14^th in the NFL in points against with an average of 21.42 points per game. Jacksonville ranked 12^th in rushing yards allowed with an average of 113.79 rushing yards per game. The Jaguars ranked 27^th in passing yards allowed per game with an average of 238.21 passing yards.

Dallas Cowboys Team Preview

The Dallas Cowboys finished in 2^nd place in the NFC East and earned a spot in the NFC Playoffs with a record of 12-5. Dallas defeated Tampa Bay in the Wild card round by a score of 31-14 before losing in the Divisional round against San Francisco by a score of 12-19. The Cowboys were 11-8 ATS overall, 6-3 ATS at home, and 3-3 ATS as an underdog last season.

Offensively, the Dallas Cowboys ranked 4^th in the NFL in points with an average of 26.84 points per game. Dallas ranked 9^th in rushing yards with an average of 131.68 rushing yards per game. The Cowboys ranked 13^th in passing yards with an average of 223.11 passing yards per game.

Defensively, the Cowboys ranked 6^th in the NFL in points against with an average of 19.74 points per game. Dallas ranked 8^th in passing yards allowed with an average of 207.79 passing yards allowed per game. The Dallas Cowboys ranked 22^nd in rushing yards allowed per game with an average of 124.37 rushing yards.

Series Trends and Game Pick

Both teams are 4-4 all-time in the series, however, Dallas has outscored Jacksonville by an average of 25.38 to 23.38 points per game while both teams are 4-4 ATS in those matchups. The Cowboys have won two of the last three games in the series and have won by an average score of 35 to 21.33 while going 2-1 ATS in those contests.

The over has hit in seven of the last eight games in the series with the teams combining for an average of 48.76 points per game in those contests. The over has hit in the last three games in the series with the teams combining for an average of 56.33 points per game in those matchups.

Both teams enter the season with playoff expectations, however, Dallas has been the better team most recently in the series, winning two of the last three games. The Cowboys are 2-1 ATS in the last three games in the series. As a result, I am taking the Dallas Cowboys +4 on BookMaker for this matchup on Saturday.