Tag: NFL point spreads

Week 14 NFL betting lines: Brock Purdy, 49ers favored vs. Tom Brady, Buccaneers

Brock Purdy holds a distinction only 1 other QB in NFL history has vs. Tom Brady. (h/t @nwagoner)

The 49ers and rookie QB Brock Purdy hold a rare distinction going into their Week 14 showdown with the Buccaneers. San Francisco according to BetMGM is favored by 3.5 points against the Tom Brady-led Bucs.

This makes sense considering the matchup. The 49ers haven’t allowed more than 17 points since Week 7, while the Buccaneers haven’t scored more than 22 points since Week 4. Tampa Bay is banged up along the offensive line, while the 49ers’ defensive line is one of their biggest strengths.

San Francisco’s offense is where things get interesting. Purdy will be making his first NFL start, while the Buccaneers will be rolling out arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time. The 49ers are favored despite the disparity at the most important position in the sport. It’s also only the second time Brady will be an underdog against a rookie signal caller per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

The other time Brady was an underdog against a rookie was in 2006 when the Patriots were 3.0-point ‘dogs against Vince Young’s Titans. New England blew out Tennessee 40-23 in that one.

Purdy and the 49ers will aim for a different fate Sunday in a huge game for their playoff hopes. If Purdy can avoid crucial mistakes and keep the team on the field on third downs the way he did in his relief stint Sunday, San Francisco will have a good chance to cover the 3.5 points.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxacb60r3mr0ac player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[lawrence-related id=681324]

Playing the Odds: Touchdown Wire’s Week 2 NFL Preview

Down, but not out, Mark Schofield returns for Week 2 of Playing the Odds. He recaps how his picks fared in Week 1, and dives into each game for Week 2 from a variety of different angles.

So, that happened.

Do a column each week picking the games against the spread, they said. You’ll enjoy it, they said. It will open up new ways of thinking about the game, they said.

Hmmm.

You could say that my 2021 debut with Playing the Odds looked more like Aaron Rodgers’ game against the New Orleans Saints than Jameis Winston’s against the Green Bay Packers. The week started poorly, missing on the opening night contest between Dallas and Tampa Bay, and only wins in the final two games of the week salvaged what could have been an outright disaster.

Overall, we nailed one of the three big plays last week, with the Chargers winning against Washington. We missed on the other two big plays, with the Buccaneers failing to cover against Dallas and the Jaguars losing outright to Houston. Thanks to the Rams on Sunday night and the Raiders on Monday night, we limped to 6-6 on the rest of the games. Somehow I missed picking the Seahawks’ tilt against the Colts, which is probably for the best as I’m sure I would have found a way to screw that up.

Still, we forge on. Mostly because the editors think this remains a good idea, if it were up to me I’m not sure my already-fragile ego could take.

Last Week’s Results:

Big Plays: 1-2

The rest: 6-6

Overall: 7-8

As always, point spreads are listed thanks to our friends at Tipico, and the picks are made against the spread.

Jaguars currently 7.5 point underdogs vs. Bears

The Jags are currently underdogs for their last home game of 2020 as the Bears will be coming into town.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have two games remaining and they will be underdogs for both. The first of those two games will be their last home game of the year against the Chicago Bears, who BetMGM has down as 7.5-point favorites for Week 16’s meeting.

The Jags are also a +300 underdog on the money line, which means a $100 wager on them would net a bettor $300. As for the over/ under figure, it’s set at 46.5 for the time being.

When looking at the history between the Bears and Jags, the Bears own the all-time record with a 4-3 record against the Jags. The last time both teams met was in October of 2016 in Chicago. The Jags were able to win that game by a score of 17-16. However, the Bears are 2-1 in Jacksonville, which accounts for half of their wins in the series.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Update on the spread, money line, and over/ under for Jags vs. Ravens

The Jacksonville Jaguars were 13.5-point underdogs when we previewed the spread earlier this week, but with about 16 hours remaining before kickoff, the spread is now a full point lower (12.5). The change comes as the Ravens had a pretty big injury …

The Jacksonville Jaguars were 13.5-point underdogs when we previewed the spread earlier this week, but with about 16 hours remaining before kickoff, the spread is now a full point lower (12.5). The change comes as the Ravens had a pretty big injury report with starting cornerback Jimmy Smith being ruled out alongside five other defensive backs, all of whom are questionable.

The money line also changed from +575 to +550, which means a $100 wager on the Jags would win a bettor $550, which is still a nice chunk of change. As for the over/under, it also shifted going from 52.5 to 47.5.

Sunday’s game will be the Jags and Ravens’ 22nd meeting. The Jags currently lead the series with a 12-9 record. However, the Ravens own the better record at M&T Bank Stadium as they are 6-5 against the Jags there. Unfortunately for Baltimore, that success doesn’t include their last home game against the Jags, which took place in 2015 and resulted in a 22-20 win for Jacksonville.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Spread update: Jags now 7.5 underdogs to Titans

In our first look at the spread earlier in the week, the Jacksonville Jaguars were underdogs by seven points, however, the spread has now slightly moved to a 7.5 figure, per BetMGM. There was also a shift in the money line as it moved from a +290 …

In our first look at the spread earlier in the week, the Jacksonville Jaguars were underdogs by seven points, however, the spread has now slightly moved to a 7.5 figure, per BetMGM.

There was also a shift in the money line as it moved from a +290 figure to +300, which means a $100 wager on the Jags would net a bettor $300. As for the over/under, it moved from 52.5 to 51.5.

The Jags will be battling against a bit of bad history against the Titans, who have a 6-1 record against the Jags in their last seven games. They also have an all-time record of 31-21 against the Jags, though the Jags’ success at home against the Titans is a little better (12-14).

One important tidbit worth noting is that the Jags have lost four of their last five by four points or less and that could be the case Sunday. They will be coming off a 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings that went into overtime, while the Titans will be trying to get over a rough 41-35 loss to the Cleveland Browns that wasn’t as close as the final indicates.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

2020 NFL Week 12 picks against the spread

A full list of Week 12 NFL picks against the spread with predictions.

Another bad week in Week 11, and it looks like I’ve all but locked up my first season below .500. Classic 2020.

To the picks! (HOME TEAM in all caps).

Spreads will be provided by BetMGM as always.

Week 11 picks: 6-8
Overall: 74-84-3

 

Spread slightly shifts for Jags’ Week 9 game vs. Texans

The Jags had a change in the spread for their game against the Texans as Jake Luton looks set to make his first start.

The spread for the Jacksonville Jaguars Week 9 game against the Houston Texans slightly moved as we approach Sunday’s kickoff. Earlier in the week when we looked, it was at 6.5, but it has now moved to a full seven points, per BetMGM.

One of the more interesting things about Sunday’s game is that it appears rookie quarterback Jake Luton will be starting after receiving a majority of the snaps in practice. It would mark his first start since being drafted this April and comes after Gardner Minshew II revealed a thumb injury that he previously kept to himself last week.

Additionally, the money line saw a small change, going from +235 to +245. The over/under also changed, dropping from 51.5 to 50.5, which again, could be because of Luton and the potential struggles he could have putting up points.

Houston will come into Sunday’s game as the leader of the all-time series with a 24-13 record against the Jags. Despite having only one win this season (which came against the Jags), they will also be riding a five game win streak against the Jags which dates back to 2017.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Jaguars are a 6.5-point underdog vs. Texans

The Jags are once again have been deemed underdogs to the Texans, but this time it’s by a higher margin than their October meeting.

After a much-needed bye week for the Jacksonville Jaguars, their position among the sportsbooks remains the same as they’ve found themselves listed as underdogs yet again for Week 9. With their divisional foes in the Houston Texans up next, the crew over at BetMGM have them specifically down as 6.5-point underdogs, which is a full point higher than their Week 5 meeting.

The Texans and the Jaguars both hold similar records at 1-6, however, the Texans hold the advantage as they defeated the Jags by the score of 30-14 last month. Sunday’s game will be at TIAA Bank Field this time around and the Jags will be coming off a bye week (so will Houston), which could help them health-wise.

Houston will come into Sunday’s game with the lead in the all-time series as they have an impressive 24-13 record against the Jags. They will also be riding a five-game win streak against the Cardiac Cats, with the last Jags victory coming Week 1 of the 2017 season.

When searching for the Jags’ last home win against the Texans, fans will have to go back a year further to Dec. 5 of 2013. On that day the Jags were able to be victorious by a touchdown as the final ended up settling at a 27-20 figure.

When looking at the money line, the Jags are a +235 underdog, which means a $100 wager on the Jags would win a bettor $235. As for the over/under, it’s set at 51.5 points for the time being.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Jags currently 7.5-point underdogs to Chargers

The Jags will be underdogs by a large margin as they travel to the west coast Sunday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be making their first trip to the west coast this week when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers. Oddsmakers will once again have them down as underdogs but this time it will be by a big 7.5-point margin, according to BetMGM.

The Jags will enter Sunday’s game trying to remove themselves from a five-game losing streak after losing to the Detroit Lions. The Chargers, on the other hand, will be coming off their bye (which could make them more dangerous) after last falling to the New Orleans Saints by a close score of 30-27.

The Jags are currently down as a +300 underdog on the money line, which means a $100 wager on the Jags would outright win $300. The over/under is set at 49.5.

The Jags and the Chargers are two teams who are well aware of each other, meeting 11 times. Sunday will mark their sixth meeting since 2014 and the Chargers will come into Week 7 with an 8-3 record against the Jags.

Of the meetings that have occurred since 2014, the Chargers have dominated the Jags winning four of five. Of course, one of those meetings took place last December in a game the Chargers won by a score of 45-10.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Jaguars are a 3-point underdog vs. Lions in latest odds update

The Jags still remain underdogs to the Lions this week despite getting a few defensive starters back.

The Jacksonville Jaguars continue to have rough luck with the sportsbooks these days.

According to the latest odds update from BetMGM, the Jaguars are now a three-point underdog against the Detroit Lions, who they will face on Sunday. It will be the third consecutive week where the Jags will be playing as the underdog. In fact, the last time the Jags were a betting favorite was in their Week 3 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, a game in which the Dolphins would go on to win by a score of 31-13.

The money line is actually closer in the Jags’ favor now with them carrying a +135 figure ($100 wager to win $135). The Lions will only be a slight -159 favorite ($159 wager to win $100). The over/under has increased to 54.5 points as of this writing.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.