Jaguars vs. Bears Pick
Which team is in best position to get its second win of 2016 when the Chicago Bears host the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday at 1PM ET?
According to the oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Bears are favored at home in this game, as they are getting odds of -2.5 points against the Jaguars. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 47 points. Chicago has won four of six all-time matchups with Jacksonville, going 4-2 against the spread in those games as well.
Chicago has been playing well the last few weeks despite just a 1-4 record. The Bears are coming off a 29-23 loss at Indy but gave the Colts all they could handle. The key to the recently strong play seems to be Brian Hoyer, who has been filling in for the injured Jay Cutler, but quite frankly, outplaying his teammate. Hoyer has thrown for over 300 yards in the last three games and has six interceptions with no interceptions. Cutler has just 373 passing yards with one touchdown and two interceptions this season. Cutler was also sacked eight times while Hoyer has only been sacked three times. Chicago still needs to improve on defense, as they Bears are giving up 25.2 points per game, but they have some pieces on the unit, including Willie Young, who has four sacks in 2016.
Jacksonville picked up its first win of the season two weeks ago in London, beating the Colts 30-27 to improve to 1-3 on the year. Jacksonville is 2-2 against the spread this season, covering in two straight. The Jaguars are somehow giving up 27.8 points per game this season despite allowing only 322.5 yards per game. A lot of that likely is due to turnovers on the offensive end. Blake Bortles has six interceptions in four games. That goes with 1,050 passing yards and seven touchdowns. He leads an offense that is averaging 21 points and 337.8 yards per game. Bortles is forced to throw a lot because Jacksonville ranks last in the NFL in rushing at just 301 yards for the season. Both T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory are being held under 3.5 yards per carry.
NFL Quick Links: Free Matchup Reports | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Scoreboard | Betting Trends
It has been tough to count on either team this season but I truly feel the Bears are a stronger team with Hoyer. While he still isn’t a top-level QB, he has been doing a good job at getting rid of the football and not turning it over, something Cutler struggled with in both cases. His play has given the Bears a little more confidence on the field and that should come in handy against a Jacksonville team that hasn’t been playing all that well in 2016. Look for the Jaguars to continue to struggle to run the ball, forcing Bortles to be in a bad position once again.
NFL WEEK 6 PICK: CHICAGO BEARS -2.5