Week 14 will see the Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars in what may prove to be an instrumental game for both teams’ wild card run. Both teams come into this game with a record of 4-8 and on a losing streak. Something will need to change if either is to make a play for postseason. Of the two, the Chargers are probably bigger underperformers this season, dropping losses against rather questionable opposition. Their last was against the Denver Broncos which saw them lose by a field goal after making a big comeback.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have had a bit of a different story. Starting quarterback Nick Foles was injured during the first game of the season, which saw rookie Gardner Minshew step up to the plate. Minshew performed surprisingly well but was still forced to give up his role as starter after a poor performance against the Texans in London. After Foles fumbled his way through the last two games, Minshew has been named starter again. Will he be able to live up to Jacksonville fans’ expectations?
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars Predictions
Before we get to any prediction making, here are some stats regarding the Chargers and Jaguars that bettors really need to look at:
- The Los Angeles Chargers have had a bit of an underwhelming season. As mentioned above, they have got a record of 4-8 so far, and basically need to go on a four-game winning streak in order to make it to the playoffs. They will be looking to do just that coming into this game. They are coming off an unlucky loss against the Broncos that saw them lose pretty much in the closing minutes of the game.
- Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has drawn much criticism this season. While he has thrown for 3,434 yards and 17 touchdowns, he has also been pretty untidy with the ball. This season, he has thrown 15 interceptions and is fifth on the list for turnovers. He played well against the Broncos after some called for him to be benched following the game before that. He will be looking to continue the performance but he is very inconsistent.
- Defensively, the Chargers are a strong unit, which is unsurprising with Joey Bosa, Casey Hayward, and Derek Watt on the squad. They rank fourth in the league for yards per game and passing yards allowed, and ninth for points per game. The Jaguars will find it hard to score.
- The Jacksonville Jaguars enter the game following a four-game loss-streak, three of which were led by quarterback Nick Foles. Foles was meant to turn the tide of the team who had been through a rough few games at the end of Minshew’s first spell, but he did very little. The last game saw the team overcome by state rivals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are pretty much on the same level as them.
- Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone has replaced Foles with Minshew for the upcoming game. Minshew comes into the game having thrown for 2,432 yards and 14 touchdowns against five interception this season. He finished the game against the Buccaneers, which saw him throw for 147 yards and one touchdown against one interception.
- The only real stats that Jacksonville outranks Los Angeles on is average rushing yards per game and thirds down percentage (defense).
With all this said, here are our Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars predictions:
- Moneyline – the Chargers look good to win this game, even if a trip to Jacksonville is sometimes tough. We think that Minshew is going to give it a good game, but everything on paper is favoring the Chargers, especially with their defense being on good form.
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars Odds
Moneyline
| Teams | BetOnline | Sports Betting | MyBookie | Bovada | Intertops |
| Chargers | -169 | -169 | -175 | -170 | -110 |
| Jaguars | +149 | +149 | +150 | +150 | -110 |
Spread
| Teams | BetOnline | Sports Betting | MyBookie | Bovada | Intertops |
| Chargers | -120 | -120 | -120 | -120 | -115 |
| Jaguars | +100 | +100 | +100 | EVEN | -105 |
