Does History Favor Jacksonville Against Minnesota?

The regular season kicks off on Sunday afternoon, as the Jacksonville Jaguars will head to Minnesota to play the Vikings. The Jaguars are much improved offensively from a year ago, and on paper, this is a game that the Jaguars should win. Personally, I’m not really a believer that the past plays a part in the present with sports. Yet, it’s still worth a look. With that said, is history on the side of the Jaguars in the regular season opener?

• Jacksonville has played Minnesota four times. The Jaguars are 1-3 against the Vikings all-time, with Minnesota outscoring Jacksonville 110-71 (28-18 average game score, in favor of the Vikings).
  
  

• When playing in Minnesota, the Jaguars are 1-2.
  
  

• In their first road game of the year, the Jaguars are 7-10 (.412) all-time, with the average score of 20-16 in favor of the opponent.
  
  

• In 10 of their 17 seasons as a franchise (59%), when the Jaguars have won the preseason finale, they have lost the regular season opener, and vice-versa.
  
  

• The Jaguars traditionally play very close games on the road in Week 1. When playing on the road to open the season, the team is 4-3 all-time, with the average score being 20-17, in favor of Jacksonville.
  
  

• When facing an NFC opponent in week 1 of the regular season, the Jaguars are 3-1, with wins coming over Chicago (1998), San Francisco (1999), and Dallas (2006). Their only loss came in 2003, when they fell to Carolina on the road by one point, in a 24-23 game.

What does past history say about this game? While this is a game that the Jaguars should be able to win, it won't be easy, as past history also indiciates that this could be a real close game. Personally, I'm predicting a Jacksonville victory in a game that isn't close, but we'll see if history plays a part on opening weekend for the Jaguars.

Game time is set for Sunday afternoon at 1:00 pm EST.