PREMIUM
Rogers' Game of the Week (10* NFL) >> SWEET 16-7 Past 4 Days!
(NFL) Jacksonville vs. Detroit,
Point Spread: 7.00 | -130.00 Jacksonville (Away)
Result: Push
Point Spread: 7.00 | -130.00 Jacksonville (Away)
Result: Push
The set-up: The Lions opened 1-3 but have rebounded to win four of their last five, with the wins coming by one, three, three and six (in OT) points! They are now tied with the 5-4 Vikings for first in the NFC North plus own the tiebreaker at the moment, having beaten Minnesota. The Jags visit Detroit at 2-7 and embattled head coach Gus Bradley is trying to keep his team from dwelling on how another season has fallen apart. "You try not to look back too much," he said. "That can be dangerous and a waste of time. You need every minute of every day to prepare for the next opponent."
Jacksonville: Gus Bradley's record as the Jags' head coach is now 14-43 and its difficult to explain just how Bradley stays employed by the Jaguars. Jacksonville was a trendy pick for its first playoff berth since 2007 but the Jags have lost four straight and rank 27th in the league, averaging only 19.3 PPG. The running game in nearly non-existent, averaging 88.1 YPG (26th) and while QB Blake Bortles is talented, this team's once-promising season has evaporated in a trail of Bortles mistakes. The defense has also found a way to give up a modest 327.7 YPG (8th) but allow 26.6 PPG, which ranks 25th. The main culprit is the team's NFL-low five takeaways and combined with the team's 19 giveaways, the Jags own the NFL's worst TO margin at minus-14.
Detroit: The Lions run the ball even worse than the Jags, averaging 86.8 YPG (27th) but unlike Bortles, Lions QB Stafford is completing 67.3 % for 251.0 YPG and most importantly, owns an 18-5 ratio, giving him a QB rating of 101.6 (Bortles has a 16-11 ratio and a QB rating of 80.6). Stafford has engineered fourth-quarter comebacks in all five of the Lions' wins. They stunned Minnesota 22-16 in overtime in their last game on Nov. 6, after the Vikings grabbed the lead with 23 seconds remaining. A long pass play set up a tying 58-yard FG by Matt Prater and Stafford's 28-yard scoring pass to Golden Tate on the first possession of overtime finished off the latest comeback.
The pick: Bradley's poor coaching and the Jags' four-game losing streak aside, Jacksonville is primed for an upset in this one. Detroit's win over the Vikings was followed with a bye and the Lions can't help but be looking ahead to their annual Thanksgiving game, which happens to be a rematch with those very same Vikings in 2016. The Detroit defense is as inept at forcing turnovers as the Jags (Detroit has only seven takeaways) and note the Jags have been close the last two weeks, falling to Kansas City 19-14 and Houston 24-21. Detroit's four regulation wins have come by a combined total of just 11 points, underscoring that Detroit isn't strong enough to blow out opponents. Jacksonville has difficulty winning but more than half of its SU losses have come by five points or less. take teh points and make the Jags a 10* play.
Jacksonville: Gus Bradley's record as the Jags' head coach is now 14-43 and its difficult to explain just how Bradley stays employed by the Jaguars. Jacksonville was a trendy pick for its first playoff berth since 2007 but the Jags have lost four straight and rank 27th in the league, averaging only 19.3 PPG. The running game in nearly non-existent, averaging 88.1 YPG (26th) and while QB Blake Bortles is talented, this team's once-promising season has evaporated in a trail of Bortles mistakes. The defense has also found a way to give up a modest 327.7 YPG (8th) but allow 26.6 PPG, which ranks 25th. The main culprit is the team's NFL-low five takeaways and combined with the team's 19 giveaways, the Jags own the NFL's worst TO margin at minus-14.
Detroit: The Lions run the ball even worse than the Jags, averaging 86.8 YPG (27th) but unlike Bortles, Lions QB Stafford is completing 67.3 % for 251.0 YPG and most importantly, owns an 18-5 ratio, giving him a QB rating of 101.6 (Bortles has a 16-11 ratio and a QB rating of 80.6). Stafford has engineered fourth-quarter comebacks in all five of the Lions' wins. They stunned Minnesota 22-16 in overtime in their last game on Nov. 6, after the Vikings grabbed the lead with 23 seconds remaining. A long pass play set up a tying 58-yard FG by Matt Prater and Stafford's 28-yard scoring pass to Golden Tate on the first possession of overtime finished off the latest comeback.
The pick: Bradley's poor coaching and the Jags' four-game losing streak aside, Jacksonville is primed for an upset in this one. Detroit's win over the Vikings was followed with a bye and the Lions can't help but be looking ahead to their annual Thanksgiving game, which happens to be a rematch with those very same Vikings in 2016. The Detroit defense is as inept at forcing turnovers as the Jags (Detroit has only seven takeaways) and note the Jags have been close the last two weeks, falling to Kansas City 19-14 and Houston 24-21. Detroit's four regulation wins have come by a combined total of just 11 points, underscoring that Detroit isn't strong enough to blow out opponents. Jacksonville has difficulty winning but more than half of its SU losses have come by five points or less. take teh points and make the Jags a 10* play.
