Dec 22, 2019; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki (88) celebrates his touchdown catch against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium.
Two teams with new head coaches will kick off the NFL preseason when the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars meet in the 2022 NFL Hall of Fame Game on Thursday. The Raiders enter the season under former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who takes over in Las Vegas after a tumultuous 2021 season that began with Jon Gruden at the helm before he was replaced by Rich Bisaccia. Doug Pederson is the new man in Jacksonville after Urban Meyer's tenure ended after just 13 games.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the game as a pick'em in the latest Raiders vs. Jaguars odds, while the Over-Under for total points scored is 30.5. Before you make any Jaguars vs. Raiders picks or 2022 NFL Hall of Fame Game predictions of your own, you need to hear what SportsLine NFL expert R.J. White has to say.
Over the past seven years White, a CBS Sports fantasy and gambling editor, has gone 329-250-21 (56.8 percent) in the world's most prestigious football handicapping competition, the Las Vegas SuperContest. He also is SportsLine's No. 1 NFL expert, going 445-378-24 on his against-the-spread NFL picks from 2017-21, returning $2,542 to $100 players. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, he has locked in on Raiders vs. Jaguars and released a confident against-the-spread pick. You can head to SportsLine now to see White's pick. Here are the NFL odds and betting lines for Jaguars vs. Raiders:
New coach Josh McDaniels, who spent the last 10 seasons as offensive coordinator in New England, comes from a Patriots franchise that emphasized the importance of winning preseason games. Over the last four years, New England went 9-2 in the preseason. Last season, the Patriots went 3-0 and outscored their opponents, 79-33.
In addition, in a game that will be dominated by second- and third-stringers, the Raiders arguably have the edge in backup quarterbacks. Vegas' Nick Mullens outperformed C.J. Beathard, who's now the Jaguars' backup, when both played for the 49ers. The newly-acquired Jarrett Stidham has experience running McDaniels' offense after playing the last three seasons with McDaniels in New England.
Linebacker Josh Allen is poised for a big season. A Pro Bowler in 2019, Allen missed half of the 2020 season with a knee injury. But he bounced back last season with a team-high 7.5 sacks. In Week 9 against the Bills, Allen helped lead the Jaguars to a 9-6 upset with eight tackles, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery. This season, he will play under a new coordinator, Mike Caldwell, whose extensive linebacker background should help Allen thrive.
The defense also should be improved with the addition of No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker. The 6-foot-5, 272-pound defensive end has 4.5 speed and a 35 1/2-inch vertical with an enormous wingspan that will allow him to fend off blockers. Last season, he had a career-high six sacks for a loaded Georgia Bulldogs defense.
White has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he's leaning Over on the point total, he has also discovered a crucial x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing what it is and which side to back at SportsLine.
Who wins Raiders vs. Jaguars in the NFL Hall of Fame Game 2022? And what critical factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Jaguars vs. Raiders spread you should jump on, all from the top NFL expert who's brought in more than $2,500, and find out.