(Newswire.net — August 22, 2016) — In the NFL, unlike no other professional American sports, a team has the ability to go from worst to first in one season. It’s one of the reasons August is such a fun and optimistic time for football teams–everyone has a chance to make the playoffs. Well, maybe not everyone. Rookie quarterbacks struggle. Even rookie quarterbacks taken very very high in the draft. And while the future of Jared Goff and Carson Wentz look bright, based on how things are beginning, the Rams and Eagles should temper their expectations for the 2016 season. The way things stand today neither player has worked his way into the starting lineup and the growing pains expected for both franchises are reflected in the Super Bowl betting odds that are available at Coral.co.uk.
One thing that can be said about the Rams is that their return to Los Angeles is off to a roaring start. More than 89,000 fans showed up at the L.A. Coliseum for Rams game with the Cowboys, setting an NFL preseason record for attendance in the first NFL game in Los Angeles in 22 years.
Attendance figures in Jacksonville don’t figure to be anywhere near those in Los Angeles, which is one of the reasons the Jaguars continue to play a game each season in London, and why they are always at the top of the list of potential relocating franchises. But their young quarterback is coming into his own, with Blake Bortles now in his third NFL season. Last year he threw for 4,438 yards and 35 touchdowns while developing an easy and successful rapport with his #1 receiving option, Allen Robinson, who caught 14 of those touchdowns.
Bortles looked great in his first preseason game, leading two scoring drives and going 6 of 7 for 105 yards. And just as it was in 2015 when Robinson led the NFL with 31 catches of 20 yards or more, the third year wide receiver caught 3 passes for 80 yards to begin the preseason.
It is early, and the Jaguars will face very good defenses this season in games against Kansas City, Houston, Baltimore, and Buffalo. But Jacksonville has a chance to challenge for a playoff spot and they will almost assuredly see an improvement on the 35 first quarter points they managed to score in 2015.