The 2022 NFL season is finally here and the Week 1 schedule is chock full of exciting showdowns. One of those games involves a pair of teams looking to prove their worth when the Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Commanders collide on Sunday.
The Jaguars aim to have a start that'll help most of their fans forget that the Urban Meyer era ever happened. The hope is that second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence can take another step forward, along with other young players like Travis Etienne Jr. and 2022 first overall pick Travon Walker.
Meanwhile, the Commanders also begin a new era with Carson Wentz under center. Can he return to his MVP form? Or is it destined to be another season filled with headaches for the Washington faithful?
Here's what projection models and experts across the industry have to say about the Jaguars vs Commanders Week 1 matchup.
Jaguars vs Commanders Projections
ESPN FPI:'Commanders (61.7%)
numberFire:'Commanders (69.4%)
FiveThirtyEight:'Commanders (68%)
Betting Favorite:'Commanders (-2.5)
Projected Winner:'Commanders (4)
Jaguars vs Commanders Expert Picks
ESPN Experts:'Commanders (5), Jaguars (4)
Sports Illustrated Experts:'Jaguars (3), Com manders (2)
CBS Sports Experts:'Jaguars (6), Commanders (2)
Expert Totals:'Jaguars (13), Commanders (9)
A quick look at the highlighted projections makes it look like the Commanders have victory in the bag. However, the experts say otherwise. In fact, 59% of experts are advocating for a Jaguars win to start their campaign.
's projected model gives the Commanders their best shot at winning at 38.3%. It's far from the best percentage, however, incorporating the expert picks into the mix shows that it's a game that could go either way.
At the end of the day, it's clear that the consensus is that the Jaguars and Commanders are evenly matched, making it quite an unpredictable matchup.