Jaguars vs Cowboys Preseason Picks and Predictions: Dallas Endures Short Stint for Jags Starters

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys will kick off their 2023 preseason on Saturday afternoon at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. 

Last season was considered a success for both teams despite losing in the playoffs. The Jaguars won the AFC South for only the second time since the 1999 season. The Cowboys went 12-5 and won only their fourth playoff game since 1996, and their first since 2018.

Do not expect to see much — if any — of the big names you know from both sides, but this could still be an entertaining game. Jacksonville and Dallas will both be looking to get some of their new starters some game action. This includes the returning Calvin Ridley. 

I analyze the NFL odds and give my best NFL picks and predictions for Jaguars vs. Cowboys on Saturday, August 12 below. 

Jaguars vs Cowboys odds

Jaguars vs Cowboys predictions

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson is a big believer in playing starters at least a little bit throughout the preseason. He came out on Monday and said he feels they need that energy of starting a game and expects the full starting unit to play a series or two. Last year, Trevor Lawrence played a total of seven series in the preseason.

Calvin Ridley will be making his first return to game action since October 24, 2021. All reports from camp are that he looks in better shape than ever and is making sharp cuts in his routes. It will be fascinating to see him in game action with Lawrence passing him the ball. 

Once Ridley and the starters are off the field, some more fireworks will spark with rookie running back Tank Bigsby. The third-round pick from Auburn has already worked his way into likely seeing some playing time in the regular season behind Travis Etienne, but he should get a decent workload on Saturday. 

On the Cowboys side, they will not be playing any of their key starters, including Dak Prescott. This means Cooper Rush will get the start at quarterback with Will Grier in reserve. The big story to watch will be at the running back position for Dallas. Tony Pollard is the clear starter, but the reserve roles and roster spots are completely up for grabs. 

Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis, and Deuce Vaughn will likely split time on Saturday to get a good feel on who performs best in similar situations. My personal favorite is Vaughn, and I would love to see the rookie succeed despite his small stature. I believe he will make some big plays in this game. 

This line is a bit inflated in my opinion just because the Jaguars will be playing their starters. However, one or two series will not be the difference in this game. I will take the team playing the same players for a full half or more to find their rhythm and win the game. I also like the Cowboys reserves more than I do the Jaguars reserves. 

My best bet: Cowboys +4.5 (-109 at UniBet)

Jaguars vs Cowboys spread and Over/Under analysis

This spread is just way too high for a preseason game. If the Jaguars committed to playing a full half of their starters I could understand, but one or two series is not worthy of making them big favorites. If you knew both teams were going to be playing their reserves the whole game, the Cowboys would likely be favored. 

Unless the Jaguars starters are able to jump out to a 14-0 lead in two series, I think not only will the Cowboys cover, but they will win outright. One that note though, there is an opportunity for this to be a high-scoring game. The Jaguars will likely get at least some scoring out of their starters early. 

Then the backups for the Jaguars will still be trying to put up points, as there is a big battle for roster spots in the receiving corps. Behind the obvious four roster locks of Ridley, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Jamal Agnew there is a slew of young guys — including four rookies — looking to make that final roster. 

I already mentioned the running back battle for the Cowboys, but they also want to see what they have with some of their young receiving options. Rookie tight end Luke Schoonmaker and second year wideout KaVontae Turpin could be big playmakers to look out for. Turpin can also make big plays in the return game.

This could possibly be a little bit of a slow burn, but I do like the odds of the Over happening. Especially if the Jaguars starters get things started off hot. However, it will be risky with the Cowboys hoping to get a good look at their run game. 

Jaguars vs Cowboys betting trend to know

The Jaguars have lost four consecutive and six of their past seven preseason games straight up. Find more NFL betting trends for Jaguars vs. Cowboys.

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