Lions Jags Odds
Posted by Steve Janus - Google+
This Sunday the Detroit Lions will look to get back to .500 football when they go on the road to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 9 of NFL action. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 EST at EverBank Field and will be televised locally on FOX. Oddsmakers have listed the Jaguars as a 4-point home underdog to the Lions with the total posted at 44 points.
Why Detroit Will Cover:
The Lions are a difficult team to figure out. They simply have too much talent to only have three wins eight weeks into the season. The Lions rank 2nd in total offense at 407.6 total yards/game and 9th in total defense, allowing just 326.4 total yards. You would expect a team with those kind of numbers to have a winning record. I think a lot of people have the feeling that it’s only a matter of time before this team lives up to their potential and puts a beating on their opponent. With how poorly the Jaguars have played and the talent that doesn’t exist on their roster, this seems like as good a week as any for the Lions to win in a blowout.
The matchups clearly favor Detroit in this game. We have already mentioned how well the Lions have been able to move the ball and stop their opponents from racking up yards. Jacksonville has the 25th ranked defense (387.0 ypg) and are giving up just over 23 ppg. On offense they are averaging a league-low 14.7 ppg on just 250.9 yards of total offense.
There are going to be those who look at the Jaguars went on the road and only lost to Green Bay by a final score of 15-24, and get the idea in their head that they can keep it close at home against the Lions. I’m not saying they can’t, but I wouldn’t read into that Packers game at all. Green Bay knew all they had to do is show up to win that game and they did just enough to get the victory. On top of that, the Jaguars are 0-3 at home with all three losses coming back at least 17 points.
Why Jacksonville Will Cover:
Let’s be honest, there isn’t a whole lot you can say about the Jaguars that are going to make you want to take them in any game this season. With that said, anything is possible in the NFL and home underdogs are typically a strong play, especially when you see the public heavily on the road team. Oddsmakers know the majority of the bets are going to come in on the Lions with a line posted at just 4-points. They aren’t in the business of losing money, which has to make you think they believe this game is going to be closer than expected and come down to a play or two in the 4th quarter.
As much as the Lions are a team that should be a lot better than their record. You can’t ignore the fact that they continue to kill themselves with stupid penalties, turnovers and poor special teams play. They simply have a knack for letting their opponents stay in the game no matter how talented they are.
There are some key trends that tell us to stay clear of Detroit in this one. The Lions are just 17-35 ATS in road games off a home win since 1992 and a dismal 4-17 ATS over their last 21 games in which they were listed as a road favorite. Jacksonville on the other hand is a perfect 7-0 ATS after having lost 4 out of their last 5 games over the last 2 seasons.
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