SPORTS BETTING

• Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7:30 ET

  Posted on Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT by North Shore Sports, INC

  
  

  Week 3 betting action is upon us, and Bookmaker.com is your home for all your football wagering needs. As a part of a large Saturday night card, the (1-1) Jacksonville Jaguars will invade Raymond James Stadium to take on the undefeated (2-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are 2-0 ATS halfway through the pre-season, while the Jaguars are 0-1-1 ATS in two home contests. Last season, the Jags played host to the Bucs, and defeated Tampa Bay 31-19 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

  Following a lackluster 20-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in their opening weekend of the pre-season, the Jags played host to the Miami Dolphins in their Week 2 encounter. Though the final score suggested a close game, Jacksonville’s 19-14 defeat was never much of a contest. The Jags first-team offense looked lethargic, as QB David Garrard only completed 50% of his passes, while the running tandem of Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor only managed to rush for 19 total yards. The Fins bolted to a 19-0 lead and looked poised to pitch a shutout, but QB Todd Bouman led the Jags offense to consecutive touchdowns late in the 4th quarter to make the final score respectable. Jaguars bettors never had a chance though, as they were never ahead in the game despite the fact that oddsmakers installed them as three-point favorites. Though the 33 combined points only fell short of the ‘total’ by the hook, the game never felt as though it would cash for over bettors.

  The Bucs have been on fire in the NFL pre-season from the get-go, as they notched a 17-6 victory in Miami in their opening game. Their debut in Tampa Bay was equally impressive, as they dominated the defending AFC champion New England Patriots en route to the 27-10 home win and cover. Tampa’s defense was stifling, holding the Patriots to a paltry 174 total yards of offense. The Bucs didn’t do anything flashy on offense, but for the second straight week, all four of their quarterbacks were efficient. With starting QB Jeff Garcia on the shelf nursing an injury, Luke McCown, Brian Griese, Chris Simms, and Josh Johnson combined to complete 19-of-25 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown. That was more than enough for Tampa Bay bettors to celebrate an easy victory, as the NFL betting line had the Bucs favored by three-points. A late New England touchdown made the score look a little nicer, but most importantly, the score allowed over bettors to celebrate as the ‘total’ on the betting line closed at 33.5.

  Despite their lack of exhibition ATS success so far this season, the Jags have been tabbed three-point road favorites by the betting public after oddsmakers opened Tampa Bay as two-point chalks. The ‘total’ has been set at 34. Betting trends offer mixed signals in this match-up. The Bucs have won and covered four straight pre-season outings.

  Even though the Jags haven’t had much luck so far in 2008, they have had a lot of success in their recent exhibitions with their in-state rivals. In their L/4 pre-season meetings, the Jags have outscored the Bucs 94-60, winning both the game and covering the spread in all four outings.
  You can find these lines and all of the NFL pre-season betting lines at Bookmaker Sportsbook, so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!