Colts vs. Jaguars Total Prediction
The Jacksonville Jaguars will have a new offensive play-caller and a different quarterback when they host the Indianapolis Colts at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday. Will those factors lead to a low-scoring game for bettors?
Game Snapshot
351 Indianapolis Colts at 352 Jacksonville Jaguars
1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, December 2
TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Colts are 4-point favorites to beat the Jaguars. The total, meanwhile, sits at 47 points. As of this writing, 64% of the public betting tickets are on the Colts to cover the point spread.
Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck completed 30-of-37 passes for 343 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in the Colts’ 27-24, Week 12 win over the Dolphins. Luck is now just the third player in NFL history to throw for at least three touchdowns in eight-consecutive games. With another three-score day in Week 13 against the collapsed Jaguars, Luck can join 2007 Tom Brady as only the second player with a nine-game streak. Although he was sacked for the first time since Week 5 today, Luck was perfect outside of throwing two picks in 14 seconds near the end of the first half. He once again featured his tight ends in the red zone, finding Eric Ebron for two more scores. Luck has begun to look scarily good in recent weeks, combining his 2018 efficiency with his pre-2018 big-play ability.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have benched QB Blake Bortles. Bortles’ play had left the Jags with little choice. Running a risk-averse offense the past two weeks, Bortles was allowed to convert just 22 passes. Even with the emphasis on avoiding mistakes, he still tossed two interceptions in Sunday’s narrow loss to the Bills. Aside from a fluky 35-touchdown campaign in 2015, Bortles has never shown any signs of progress. His throwing motion is the worst in the NFL. Bortles’ Mark Sanchez-esque extension is looking like a major blunder for GM Dave Caldwell. Bortles is due a $1 million roster bonus in March, and $6.5 million of his $14 million 2019 salary is guaranteed. Cody Kessler will start the final five games of 2018 before the Jags begin the search for a franchise quarterback in the offseason.
NFL Betting Trends
Indianapolis
The under is 8-2 in the Colts’ last 10 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
Jacksonville
The under has cashed in five of the Jaguars’ last six games after allowing more than 150 yards rushing in their previous contest.
Prediction
The under is 11-4 in the last 15 meetings between these two teams and I don’t see how the Jaguars contribute enough offense to push the score over the total on Sunday. Kessler is a pure game manager that won’t have the services of Leonard Fournette, who was suspended for violating the league’s unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary roughness policy. The under is also 13-6 in the Colts’ last 19 games overall and is 5-2 in the Jaguars’ last seven games versus the rest of the AFC South.
NFL Week 13 Prediction: Colts/Jaguars under 47