Former college coaches Kingsbury, Meyer meet for 1st time

ARIZONA (2-0) at JACKSONVILLE (0-2)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox

OPENING LINE: Cardinals by 7 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Cardinals 1-1, Jaguars 0-2.

SERIES RECORD: Cardinals lead 3-2.

LAST MEETING: Cardinals beat Jaguars 27-24 on Nov. 26, 2017, in Arizona.

LAST WEEK: Cardinals beat Vikings 34-33; Jaguars lost to Broncos 23-13.

CARDINALS OFFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (12), PASS (3), SCORING (2).

CARDINALS DEFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (26), PASS (8), SCORING (14).

JAGUARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (27), RUSH (26), PASS (23), SCORING (29).

JAGUARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (29), RUSH (25), PASS (27), SCORING (26).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Cardinals even; Jaguars minus-5.

CARDINALS PLAYER TO WATCH: Former Houston WR DeAndre Hopkins put up big numbers against the Jaguars when he played them twice a year in the AFC South. He has 79 receptions for 930 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games against Jacksonville. He also won 10 of his last 12 games against the Jags.

JAGUARS PLAYER TO WATCH: Rookie CB Tyson Campbell could be in for his most significant workload because starter CJ Henderson (groin) is banged-up and veteran Tre Herndon (knee) is still recovering from a training camp injury.

KEY MATCHUP: Cardinals dynamic QB Kyler Murray versus Jacksonville’s porous defense that is still looking to create its first turnover. Murray has thrown for 689 yards and seven touchdowns, with three interceptions. He also has run for two scores. The Jaguars have struggled to generate steady pressure and been a passing sieve, giving up nearly 300 yards a game through the air to Tyrod Taylor and Teddy Bridgewater.

KEY INJURIES: Cardinals RT Kelvin Beachum (ribs), CB Marco Wilson (ankle) and LB Devon Kennard (hamstring) are hoping to play. Beachum has missed parts of the first two games, and Kennard sat out last week. … The Jaguars placed TE James O’Shaughnessy on injured reserve, forcing rookie Luke Farrell into a more prominent role.

SERIES NOTES: Arizona has won three straight against Jacksonville, including a 27-24 victory four years ago in which former Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert earned a win against his former team. … The losing team has failed to top 17 points in four of five meetings. … This will be the first meeting between former college coaches Kliff Kingsbury and Urban Meyer at any level.

STATS AND STUFF: Murray and Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence are two of the seven active NFL quarterbacks who were selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. … This is the second straight year the Cardinals have started 2-0. They lost the next two games last year. The Cardinals have started a season 3-0 four times since 1970. … Cardinals WR Rondale Moore leads all rookies with 182 yards receiving and 268 all-purpose yards through two games. … DE J.J. Watt has 17 career sacks against Jacksonville, all while with Houston. … Cardinals K Matt Prater made a franchise-record 62-yard field goal to end the first half in last week’s game. He has the franchise record for Denver (64), Detroit (59, twice) and the Cardinals. … Jacksonville has lost 17 consecutive games, nine shy of tying the NFL record set by Tampa Bay. … The Jaguars are trying to avoid their sixth 0-3 start in franchise history (1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2016). Three of those five seasons came with first-year head coaches. … The Jaguars will face overall No. 1 picks in consecutive weeks, with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow up next after Murray.

FANTASY TIP: Murray, Hopkins, Moore and WR Christian Kirk are all worth starting against Jacksonville’s beleaguered secondary.

___

More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up