Gus Bradley continues to coach and the Jacksonville Jaguars continue to lose football games. It’s just a matter of time before Bradley gets the axe and the bet is on if he makes it through the season. This was supposed to be the year the Jags made a push to the top of the AFC South, but even in a mediocre division, the Jags are bringing up the rear and have gone just 14-45 in Bradley’s tenure. The Denver Broncos are next in line and even a win over the defending Super Bowl champs in Week 13 won’t be enough to save Bradley’s job.
This contest in Week 13 of the regular season will go down Sunday, December 4, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at EverBank Field.
Odds Analysis
With the Broncos playing the late Sunday night game, the spread and total have yet to hit the board. We can expect Denver to open as the favorite somewhere in the 3-5 point range and they will cover given the Jags propensity for blowing games.
Injury Report
Allen Hurns – Typical of the Jaguars’ season, Hurns injured his hamstring while diving into the end zone for a touchdown. It hasn’t been the best season for Hurns, who is the team’s third leading receiver, but his absence will definitely hurt the teams’ passing game, especially down near the goal line.
Chris Ivory – Not only are the Jaguars in danger of being without one of their top receivers, they could also be missing their leading rusher for Sunday’s game after Ivory sustained a hamstring injury against the Bills. Ivory has split time in the backfield with T.J. Yeldon, but has been the more effective back recently.
Key Stat
The Jaguars didn’t commit a turnover against Buffalo and that’s something highly unusual. It was just the second time all season the Jags didn’t have a giveaway, but they failed to produce a takeaway and the result was all too familiar to Jags fans. Jacksonville’s 22 giveaways are the third-most in the NFL while their seven takeaways are the fewest. The Jags continue to lead the league with a minus-15 turnover differential and have won the turnover battle in a game just once this year.
Blake Bortles has tossed a NFL high-tying 13 interceptions and is responsible for 14 of the Jags’ turnovers by himself. He has proven to be careless with the football when under pressure and the Broncos will bring the heat with the league’s best pass rush. Denver sacked Alex Smith six times on Sunday night and now leads the league with 35 sacks. Von Miller sacked Smith three times and leads the NFL with 12.5. Expect the Broncos to dial up the pressure in an attempt to force Bortles into some bad decisions.
Free ATS Pick
The Jaguars can’t seem to do anything right. They thoroughly outplayed the Bills in the first half of their game, yet led just 7-6 at halftime. And they had been good at limiting the big plays, but the Bills hit a few in the second half that turned the game around. Even when Bortles plays a solid game and the Jags don’t turn the ball over, the outcome is the same as it’s been for most of the year – another frustrating defeat.
At this point it’s hard to see the Jags winning another game and facing the Broncos makes that a possibility for at least another week. Denver has its defense back and although they lost a heartbreaker in overtime on Monday night, the unit played well. A few big plays by the Chiefs cost them, but they vowed for a return to greatness and what a better way to start than facing the Jags. The Broncos got an exceptional performance from Trevor Siemian, who threw for 368 yards in a breakout game, and they produced 464 total yards. The offense won’t be as productive, but it doesn’t need to be with a defense that shuts down the Jags minus a few offensive weapons. The Broncos will force a few turnovers which they will convert to points in a road victory.
NFL Odds: Broncos 23, Jaguars 18
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