The Eagles are listed as 7-point home favorites.

The third preseason game is the closest teams come to playing as if it were a regular game. Expect the starters to play well into the second half, with some starters staying into the final quarter.

Coach Andy Reid has kept his plans secret, but said he won't be reluctant to use Vick in a wildcat formation against the Jaguars.

Maurice Jones-Drew needs to let loose in this game. He has been missing in action thus far in the preseason, and if the Jags expect to win tonight that needs to change.

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David Garrard had a lackluster season last year and will be looking to return to his glory of 2007, but after losing all three receivers, including Reggie Williams, the Jaguars QB will need to find new receiver Torry Holt down field.

The objective last year for the Dolphins was to establish positive vibes and to build momentum for the 2008 regular season. That is not the case this year as backers will have expectations for their club.

How will the Fish handle being the hunted this season as opposed to being the surprise team of the year?

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Last season was ugly, to the tune of 5-11 ugly. QB David Garrard regressed in a big way, with his quarterback rating dropping more than 20 points from 2007, but some of that has to go to an offensive line that was ravaged by injuries. Free agent receiver Jerry Porter was a colossal bust. Running back Fred Taylor started to show his age, and he was shown the door at the end of the season. Really the only decent offensive players were Maurice Jones-Drew, who got rewarded with a new contract and the featured back role with Taylor jettisoned, and WR Matt Jones, who had legal troubles and is gone, as his fellow receiver and first-round bust Reggie Williams.

The defense wasn't terrible last year, but it wasn't especially good, either, ranking No. 21 in the league in points allowed. Star tackle John Henderson seemed to take a step back last year, and the Jags need a rebound from him because they are thin at tackle. For sure that unit must get more turnovers after ranking only behind Denver last year with 17 takeaways.

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Looking to this year, Garrard is now in the best shape of his career, having dropped 20 pounds. So he says the mobility he had in 2007 will be back. Jones-Drew is one of the most unique talents in the game and maybe the best receiving running back in football. And the offensive line should be better with three starters back from injury, plus the Jags used their first two picks in this year's draft on offensive linemen and signed free agent Tra Thomas.

However, this team probably has the weakest group of receivers in the NFL. Right now the starters are penciled in as past-his-prime Torry Holt and Mike Walker, who had all of 16 catches in his rookie season last year. There's not much behind them, either, which makes one wonder why the team traded Dennis Northcutt to the Lions.

Once again, the defense should be middle-of-the-pack but probably no better.

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This is probably a turning point for this franchise. It is struggling to draw fans and is on any list of possible relocation. Coach Jack Del Rio probably loses his job with another losing season, and the team might not think of Garrard as a franchise QB with a second consecutive bad year.

Here is the Jaguars' 2009 schedule, and we'll break it down after:
Sept. 13 at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m.
Sept. 20 vs. Arizona Cardinals, 1 p.m.
Sept. 27 at Houston Texans, 1 p.m.
Oct. 4 vs. Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m.
Oct. 11 at Seattle Seahawks, 4:15 p.m.
Oct. 18 vs. St. Louis Rams, 1 p.m.
Week 7: Bye
Nov. 1 at Tennessee Titans, 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 8 vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m.
Nov. 15 at New York Jets, 1 p.m.
Nov. 22 vs. Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m.
Nov. 29 at San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m.
Dec. 6 vs. Houston Texans, 1 p.m.
Dec. 13 vs. Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m.
Dec. 17 vs. Indianapolis Colts, 8:20 p.m.
Dec. 27 at New England Patriots, 1 p.m.
Jan. 3 at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m.

Strength of schedule: 11th (opponents combined to go 132-124, .516, in 2008)
Projected record: 7-9
Bodog over/under total: 8
Bodog odds to win AFC South: 4/1
Bodog odds to win AFC: 18/1
Bodog odds to win Super Bowl XLIV: 35/1 (subject to change)

The first quarter of the schedule is not very kind, with the Jags facing three playoff teams and one team that very likely could make it this year in Houston. That opener with Indy is the third straight year the Jags open with a divisional opponent; Jacksonville is 9-5 in openers, but that will drop to 9-6. And the Texans are 8-6 against the Jags all-time. If Jacksonville doesn't at least win one of those first four, the season is over.

That Rams game is historic in a way, because St. Louis is the only team in the league that hasn’t played a regular-season game in Jacksonville. That Rams and Chiefs games are the only two you know for sure the Jags will be favored in, and they'll win both.

That Nov. 29 game at San Francisco is the Jags' first visit there, while Fred Taylor gets to see his old team on Dec. 27.

December/January is pretty rough because even though Jacksonville is home for three games, they are all against teams that had .500 or better records last season. And you know New England and Cleveland will be rather cold that time of year. It’s the first time since 2000 that Jacksonville closes with back-to-back road games.

I'm not sure there's a two-game winning streak for Jacksonville on this schedule. There will at least be a two-game improvement from last year, but another last-place finish in the deep AFC South – and Del Rio is looking for work.

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Beating the Jaguars seems like an afterthought right now. Jacksonville has lost five of their last six games and couldn’t hang on against Indianapolis last week. The Jags took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter, but watched the Colts score 17 unanswered points in the 31-24 loss. The final nail in the coffin was a David Garrard interception that Indy returned 35 yards for a touchdown.

The Ravens have been a solid pick for bettors this season at 11-4 ATS, and they should be heavily favored at home against the lame Jaguars in a must-win game on Sunday.

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The Jaguars (+7, –120) have allowed 5.5 yards per play, up from 5.2 yards in 2007; that difference adds up in an NFL season of roughly 1,000 plays. On offense, QB David Garrard has 10 interceptions after throwing only three last season – and he’s been sacked 38 times for a league-worst loss of 263 yards.

The Colts have won seven in a row at 3-3-1 ATS to clinch their seventh straight season of 10 wins or more under coach Tony Dungy. But they have yet to clinch a playoff spot in the hypercompetitive AFC. Motivation won’t be a problem on Thursday. Get your NFL football betting in the Bodog Sportsbook today.

This week the 1.5-point favored Packers will try to pick up the pieces against a Jacksonville Jaguars team that is one of the most disappointing teams in the whole league.

The Jags lost 23-10 to the Bears on Sunday to fall to 4-9 on the season. David Garrard completed only 4-of-12 passes in the first half for a 7.6 passer rating when the Jaguars fell behind 20-3. He finished 19-of-38 for 178 yards and a 61.1 rating.

Total bettors should know that the over is 9-2 in the Jaguars’ last 11 games in December and 4-1 in the Packers’ last five games in December.

With four games left against teams still alive in the playoff race the Jaguars might have trouble winning another game.

This week that all begins with a trip to Chicago to take on the Bears. Kyle Orton had by far his worst game of the season Sunday night in the 34-14 loss to the Vikings, throwing three interceptions.

The Bears are certain to be left out of the postseason if their 21st-ranked passing game doesn’t get better in a hurry. The home team is 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings. Get your NFL odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

The Vikings are in a far better position despite only having one more win than the Jags. Minnesota is tied atop the NFC North with Chicago and Green Bay. The Vikings missed a chance to take sole possession of first place last week when they were outscored 13-0 in the second half of a 19-13 loss at Tampa Bay.

The Vikings have won two of three all-time meetings with the Jaguars, and the Jags have dropped four of five at home this season. Get your NFL betting in the Bodog Sportsbook.

The Titans head into this road contest as 3-point favorites and will once again look to their defense to get the job done. The Titans gave up just 243 yards against the Bears and are limiting opponents to an NFL-low 13.0 points per game.

Jacksonville is allowing 340.2 yards per game, but limited Detroit to a season-low 256 and totaled seven sacks in a 38-14 victory. The Jags will be looking for revenge as they were the Titans' first victims of the season, losing 17-10 at Tennessee in Week 1. Make the game more exciting by betting on the NFL in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Following a 23-17 loss to struggling Cleveland on Oct. 26, Jacksonville fell to Cincinnati 21-19 last Sunday as the Bengals won their first game of the year.

Jacksonville backers are praying the team can turn a corner against the league's only winless team. The Lions are off to their worst start since opening a franchise-worst 0-12 in 2001, and have lost 15 of 16 overall. With Dan Orlovsky spraining his right thumb it could give Culpepper a chance to make his first start of the season. Can the former Pro Bowler QB help the 7-point underdog Lions get their first win of the season?