NFL Week 14 Best Bet: Are the Rams Back on Track?
The Game:
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Play:
Chargers -2.5
Taking the Chargers in this spot is more about betting against the Jaguars than it is about betting on Los Angeles. The Chargers should be able to exploit the myriad of issues Jacksonville has on defense. The Jags are 28th in the league against the run and they have lost four in a row by a combined total of 82 points. The Jags continue to struggle to score and after 12 games this season the Chargers have scored 75 points more than Jacksonville.
No matter who the Jags have at quarterback it just isn’t working. Minshew Mania was fun but things definitely died down as Gardner Minshew barely has more touchdowns than turnovers (14 TDs and 12 turnovers, including 12 fumbles in 10 games). The Jags tried to insert the newly healthy Nick Foles into the starting lineup, but that failed miserably (two TDs, two INTs, and eight sacks) as Foles was benched at halftime last week against Tampa Bay.
Quarterback Phillip Rivers needs to get this team a win for morale after nonstop brutal losses all season. In the last four games, running back Melvin Gordon has gone for at least 90 yards rushing and receiving combined. Meanwhile, wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams (1700 yards receiving combined) should be able to take advantage of a young Jaguars secondary.
A few bones to nibble on with this game:
- The Chargers are 6-1 straight up and 7-0 ATS in their last seven games against the Jaguars
- Los Angeles is 7-2 ATS in their last nine games on the east coast
- The Jags are just 1-6 ATS in their last seven when hosting a west coast team
The Prediction:
34 Los Angeles Chargers
18 Jacksonville Jaguars
Harry Gagnon spent 14 years as a Vegas Sportsbook Supervisor and holds a Communications degree from SUNY-Oswego. You might know him better as part of the Degenerate Trifecta on the award nominated betting podcast “Against All odds with Cousin Sal” on the Ringer Podcast Network. Feel free to find him on Twitter (@AAOHarry) and tweet him a message if you want to talk casinos, sports, or just shoot the breeze about betting in general cause, hey, that’s what Twitter is for, right?