The Jacksonville Jaguars will be trying to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history when they visit the New England Patriots on Sunday. The game will be played at Gillette Stadium and is scheduled to begin at 3:05 PM. ET.
Jaguars vs Patriots Odds
Point Spread and Over/Under
- Jacksonville Jaguars +9.5
- New England Patriots -9.5
- Over/Under 46.5
My Pick
Jacksonville Jaguars Analysis…
The Jaguars defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday to advance to the conference championship game. It was the second time they defeated the heavily favored Steelers, who they felt disrespected them by looking ahead to a potential matchup with the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
Now, the Jaguars have to turn their attention to the Patriots, who are once again the heavy favorites.
With the Jaguars having one of the best defenses in the league, they will try to use it to their advantage by pressuring Tom Brady as much as possible and hope he turns the ball over like Ben Roethlisberger did last week.
The Jaguars will also try to establish the run early with Leonard Fournette, who rushed for over 100 yards against the Steelers on Sunday. If they run the ball successfully, they won’t need Blake Bortles to try to do too much, which should help them avoid unwanted turnovers.
New England Patriots Analysis…
The Patriots didn’t have a lot of problems against the Tennessee Titans and were able to cruise to an easy win. This time around, they will need to play even better to avoid becoming Jacksonville’s latest victims.
The Patriots defense came up big against the Titans by shutting down the running game early. Doing so allowed them to put a lot of pressure on Marcus Mariota to beat them, which led to the team recording a franchise high eight sacks against the Titans.
Tom Brady was also excellent in the game, and threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns.
The Patriots will likely employ a similar game plan against the Jaguars and try to stop the run early in the game and force the Jaguars into throwing the ball more than they want. If they can force Bortles to turn the ball over, they will improve their chances of winning the game.
The Patriots offensive line will also need to figure out how to slow down Jacksonville’s pass rush or it will be a long day for Brady as well.
Final word…
The Patriots should be able to get the win, but it will be closer than many expect. Take the Jaguars +9.5.
Play: Jaguars +9.5
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