Jaguars vs. Chargers Prediction
Who has the edge today when the 0-1 San Diego Chargers host the 0-1 Jacksonville Jaguars at 4:25PM ET?
According to the oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Chargers are the slight favorite at home, as they are getting odds of -3 points against the Jaguars. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 47.5 points. San Diego has won and covered the spread in five straight meetings with the Jaguars, dating back to 2010.
The Jaguars had a promising showing last week in their 27-23 loss to the Packers. Despite losing the game, they showed they can contend with a top team like Green Bay and the Jags actually outgained the Packers 348-294 in the loss. Blake Bortles continued his strong play by throwing for 320 yards and a touchdown. The problem for Jacksonville was the offensive line allowed three sacks and only produced 48 rushing yards on 26 attempts. Those numbers have to improve.
The Chargers had maybe the worst Week 1 of any team. After holding a 24-3 lead in the second half, they ultimately lost 33-27 in OT to the Chiefs. In the game, San Diego also lost top receiver Keenan Allen for the season with a knee injury. Once he was injured, the Chargers offense wasn’t the same. A positive in the loss was the Chargers rushed for 155 yards as a team, which was a big improvement from last year when they had the second-worst ground game in the NFL.
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The Chargers have some adjustments to make with Allen gone. His loss last season saw the Chargers really struggle offensively. Jacksonville looks to have a much-improved defense in 2016 and they should be ready to stop the San Diego run game and put a lot of pressure on Philip Rivers. Offensively, Jacksonville should be able to throw on San Diego. The Chargers gave up 363 yards to Alex Smith last week. Even without a run game, I still think the Jags can do enough to win on Sunday, or at least cover.
NFL WEEK 2 PREDICTION: JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS +3