Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Los Angeles Chargers Odds & Game Pick (2020)
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers both have only one win entering Week 7 of the NFL season, but they have taken different paths to get to that point. The Jaguars have regularly been outplayed this season, falling behind immediately and putting themselves in bad positions. The Chargers, on the other hand, have joined the Atlanta Falcons as one of only two teams in the NFL this season to blow multiple leads of 16 or more points in separate losses. The Falcons blew a 20-point lead against the Cowboys and a 16-point lead against the Bears. The Chargers blew 17-point leads against both the Tampa Bay Bucs and the New Orleans Saints. They also blew an 11-point second-half lead against the Kansas City Chiefs. Los Angeles could easily be 4-1 instead of 1-4. The Chargers could be a good team, but they aren't - winning is the mark of a good team, not merely coming close or building a lead. Can the Bolts get it right this time against the Jags?
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Details
- Opening Line: Chargers -7
- Current Line: Chargers -7.5
- Over/Under: 49
- Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
- Start Time: 4:25 PM ET
- Last Meeting: Jaguars 10 vs. Chargers 45 (12/8/19)
Game Odds
Overview
The Jacksonville Jaguars were flattened by the Detroit Lions at home this past weekend, a bad performance in a series of woefully insufficient efforts for Doug Marrone's team. The Jaguars managed only 275 total yards, with only 44 yards on the ground. There's no way quarterback Gardner Minshew is going to win with zero ground game supporting him. The Jaguars have to have some semblance of balance in their offense, precisely so that Minshew doesn't have to do everything himself. Jacksonville managed only 16 first downs against the Lions, an average of four per quarter. The only way a low first-down total will win a game is if a team hits long touchdown plays to reduce the need to steadily move the ball down the field. Needless to say, the Jaguars didn't do that. Jacksonville posted only one play - passing or rushing - longer than 14 yards. It's very hard to win that way.
The Los Angeles Chargers are a really good team... if you count only the first three quarters of a game. The Bolts have carried leads into the fourth quarter in three of their last four games. However, they have then been outscored by a total of 35-10 in those three fourth quarters. The Chargers led the Chiefs 20-9 and got shut out in the fourth quarter and overtime, losing in the extra period. The Chargers led the Bucs 24-7 in the third quarter but got shut out in the fourth quarter, losing by seven. The Chargers led the Saints 20-3 in the third quarter but scored just seven points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined, losing yet again in an extended game.
None of the Chargers' first five games have been decided by more than seven points. Only one game has been decided by more than five. This team is competitive in every game, but it fails to close the door. It's a matter of learning how to win for a roster that is capable of doing so much more. Young quarterback Justin Herbert has been very good overall, but now he has to learn how to make plays in crunch time.
Trends
- Jacksonville is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games as an underdog.
- Jacksonville is 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games.
- The Chargers are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games.
Bottom Line
The Chargers have played close games against good teams. They lost, but they showed they belonged on the same field. The Jaguars, very simply, are not a good team. The Chargers should be able to figure out how to win. They probably won't crush Jacksonville, but they also won't be sweating out this game at the very end, either.
Prediction: Chargers 27, Jaguars 17
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