Oakland Raiders at Jacksonville Jaguars, EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL
Sunday, December 12, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Titans -4.5
Current Line: Titans -4.5
Opening Total: 43
Current Total: 43
Money Line: Jaguars -210 / Raiders +175
Not many people would have predicted that the Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5) or Oakland Raiders (6-6) would be battling for division titles this late in the season, but that is exactly the case for both teams as they meet in a key AFC matchup on Sunday. The Jaguars (-4) find themselves one-half game ahead of Indianapolis for the lead in the AFC South following a 17-6 victory at Tennessee last week while the Raiders sit one game behind Kansas City after completing a sweep of San Diego. The Colts topped Tennessee 30-28 on Thursday night and host Jacksonville next week.
Oakland jumped out to an early 21-3 lead on the Chargers in the second quarter last Sunday and held on despite scoring just one more time the rest of the game. The team’s defense held San Diego to only 21 yards rushing on eight carries, forcing quarterback Philip Rivers to throw the ball for most of the game due to the early deficit. Rivers did not have one of his better games, completing 23 of 39 passes for 280 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Raiders got an efficient performance from their quarterback Jason Campbell, as he completed 10 of 16 passes for 117 yards with one touchdown and ran seven times for 37 yards and another score. Oakland’s ground game posed big problems for the Chargers defensively, with running backs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush each rushing for at least 95 yards and a touchdown.
Jacksonville has also done an outstanding job running the ball lately thanks to the consistency of running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who has put together five straight 100-yard games. Jones-Drew has helped the Jaguars average 184.8 rushing yards per game during that stretch, leading them to a 4-1 straight-up record and a 5-0 mark against the spread.
The Jags lost big twice at home earlier this season, totaling only three points in losses to Tennessee and Philadelphia en route to a combined score of 58-6. But they became a much more competitive team just prior to the second half of the season, starting with a 35-17 road win at Dallas right before their bye week. One trend that is a bit concerning is the fact that the team has scored progressively less points in every game since beating the Cowboys. The OVER had cashed in five straight games for Jacksonville before going UNDER against the Titans last week.
The Raiders have lost the last three meetings with the Jaguars both SU and ATS with the UNDER going 3-1 in those games. The UNDER is also 3-1 in Oakland last four road games.
Now that you have read this football betting preview featuring the Jaguars & Raiders, check out the NFL odds on this and all the games to compare the best lines at multiple sportsbooks.
