The Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Commanders both had incredibly disappointing seasons a year ago. They’ll meet at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, in an attempt to start things off on the right foot in 2022. Could either be a surprise playoff contender this season? Read on for a breakdown of the game, where to watch, injuries, and the game prediction from our NFL staff.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Washington Commanders preview
The Jacksonville Jaguars got some much-needed offseason therapy in the form of free agency and the introduction of Doug Pederson. Christian Kirk, Folorunso Fatukasi, Foyesade Oluokun, Evan Engram, Brandon Scherff, Zay Jones, Darious Williams, and Arden Key all joined the team in free agency.
Nobody was busier than Jacksonville was this offseason. They needed to help their young franchise QB and did everything they could to set Trevor Lawrence up for success this season.
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The Washington Commanders had a horrendous season a year ago with a defense that was supposed to be a top-five unit in the entire league. Losing Chase Young certainly didn’t help, but they grossly underachieved before his injury.
The Commanders also desperately needed an upgrade at quarterback, and they did that by trading for Carson Wentz in the offseason. That said, it’s been years since Wentz was the QB we thought he could be coming from North Dakota State.
How to watch
- Date/Time
Sunday, Sept. 11, 1 p.m. ET - Channel
FOX - Live Stream
Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV (some markets), fuboTV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, FOX Now
Matchups
This interconference matchup is relatively new, as the Jaguars have only been around since 1995. Washington leads the all-time series 6-1, with their last meeting coming in 2018, a 16-13 Washington victory. Josh Johnson and Cody Kessler were the starting QBs in that game.
Ironically, Jacksonville’s final game last season was against Wentz as an Indianapolis Colt. The 2-14 Jaguars beat Wentz and the Colts 26-11 to spoil Indy’s playoff odds — which had been at 97% before a Week 17 loss to the Raiders — for good. Meanwhile, Washington shook off four consecutive losses to end their season with a Week 18 win against the New York Giants, 22-7.
Jacksonville Jaguars 2021 stats/rankings
- Scoring: 14.9 (32nd)
- Yards: 305.4 (27th)
- Yards per play: 5.1 (24th)
- Passing: 202.1 (22nd)
- Rushing: 103.2 (22nd)
- Defensive scoring: 26.9 (28th)
- Yards allowed: 353.1 (20th)
- Yards per play allowed: 5.6 (25th)
- Pass defense: 227.9 (17th)
- Rush defense: 125.1 (23rd)
Washington Commanders 2021 stats/rankings
- Scoring: 19.7 (24th)
- Yards: 323.6 (21st)
- Yards per play: 5.1 (21st)
- Passing: 202.4 (21st)
- Rushing: 121.2 (12th)
- Defensive scoring: 25.5 (25th)
- Yards allowed: 359.3 (22nd)
- Yards per play allowed: 5.7 (27th)
- Pass defense: 254.9 (29th)
- Rush defense: 104.4 (eighth)
Injuries to know
Jacksonville Jaguars:
DT Folorunso Fatukasi (calf, questionable)
DE Jordan Smith (injured reserve)
Washington Commanders:
S Kamren Curl (thumb, out)
TE Logan Thomas (knee, questionable)
TE Cole Turner (hamstring, questionable)
G Willie Beavers (injured reserve)
DB Josh Drayden (injured reserve)
TE Curtis Hodges (injured reserve)
C Tyler Larsen (physically unable to perform)
DE Chase Young (physically unable to perform)
RB Brian Robinson (non-football injury list)
Prediction
Betting line (courtesy of Caesars)
Commanders -3; Commanders -155, Jaguars +130; O/U 44
Dalton Miller’s Prediction
1-0 straight-up, 1-0 against the spread in 2022
Jaguars 23, Commanders 20
Adam Beasley’s Prediction
1-0 straight-up, 1-0 against the spread in 2022
Commanders 17, Jaguars 9
Dallas Robinson’s Prediction
1-0 straight-up, 0-1 against the spread in 2022
Commanders 17, Jaguars 13