Jacksonville Jaguars @ Atlanta Falcons Thursday Night Football Pick

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Atlanta Falcons Thursday Night Football Pick: I know the Jaguars are coming off a win that ended up being an embarrassment of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they still aren’t good, they still have a frightened Blaine Gabbert playing quarterback without any go-to receiver, and no, they won’t look nearly as good on National TV against a defense that can flat out stop the run and put some pressure on young Blaine.

Yes, Maurice Jones-Drew is a stud. Flat out, my favorite back in the NFL. But he can’t do it all on his own this time around – the Falcons are about 45 places better against the run in defensive rankings (yes I know that’s impossible, but it’s close).

But Lucky, did you see that Jaguars defense tighten down the hatches last week against the Buccaroos? Yes, I saw Josh Freeman lose all forms of accuracy and arm strength. I watched as every bounce went the way of the Jags, and I continue to see a pretty good run defense form Jacksonville, just like I have all season. But it won’t be the same here because the Falcons are actually good.

Matt Ryan is healthy and this is as healthy as his receiving options have been all season long. The Jaguars’ young secondary will have trouble stopping those cats, I promise. I see a relatively boring game with a couple Falcons touchdowns, 3-4 field goals, and single digits points scored for the Jaguars. Let’s call it 26-9.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Atlanta Falcons (-12)