Jaguars vs Chiefs Betting Preview: Do Jags Have Another Upset in Them?

Jaguars Face Even Steeper Odds Against Chiefs

Coming off a comeback for the ages, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ reward is a trip to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the AFC regular season champions: the Kansas City Chiefs. Per the Jaguars vs Chiefs Betting preview, Jacksonville is a sizable 9.5-point underdog. The Jaguars take on a team that already defeated them in the regular season and also one that is the Super Bowl LVII favorite.

Jacksonville’s Jekyll-and-Hyde Act

Jacksonville is ahead of the NFL schedule as far as being a rebuilding team. The team is deeper into the NFL playoff bracket. But why not go for more? The Jaguars certainly have that “never say die” mentality and they best proved it against the Chargers.

Down 27-0, Jacksonville rallied and won 31-30. In doing so, the Jaguars improved to 8-5 as an underdog for the season. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw four interceptions in the first half then threw four touchdowns in the second half. The defense also held its ground and limited the Chargers to just three second-half points.

“Everybody rallied around him, everybody rallied around each other,”
“It was great talk on the sidelines. It was never pointing fingers, it was never, ‘Oh my gosh.’
More like, ‘I know this isn’t going to happen.’” wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. said after the game.

This game was also a microcosm of how the Jaguars have been in the season. The NFL team started 2-1 then lost five straight and then won six straight to clinch the AFC South title.

Jacksonville, like most young teams, struggle to put it all together. But when this team does, it can beat almost any team in the NFL.

Jacksonville has that uncanny ability to overcome turnovers. The Jaguars are 2-1 when it coughs the ball up three or more times and 3-3 when it does it at least twice. But having to come back against Kansas City is another story. The Jaguars can ill afford to fall behind Kansas City or the Chiefs’ line will be shorter than this Jaguars vs Chiefs betting preview.

Chiefs’ Offense is Great But Not Its Defense

Andy Reid may not be in Coach of the Year discussions, but he and Patrick Mahomes have kept Kansas City as the same dominant force despite losing star receiver Tyreek Hill. Kansas City scored the most points (29.2) and averaged the highest net yards per drive (6.29) this season.

Mahomes should be the favorite to win the MVP thanks to setting personal bests and records in almost every major passing stat. Against Jacksonville, Mahomes threw for 331 yards, four touchdowns, and posted a 129.6 passer rating. That might be a precursor to this Jaguars vs Chiefs betting preview.

“I coached [Brett] Favre. I coached him, I coached Michael Vick, I coached Donovan McNabb,”
“And this guy is right up there, and they all have their strengths and their weaknesses, but he’s a lot of fun to coach. He’s as good as it gets.” Reid began as he discussed Mahomes prior to the Chiefs’ flight to their final regular season game against Las Vegas.

However, Kansas City is not invincible thanks to its mediocre defense. The Chiefs’ defense is ranked just 16th in scoring (21.7), has allowed the most passing touchdowns (33), and allows a passer rating of 95.3, the fifth-highest. It’s why Kansas City is just 5-9-1 NFL against the spread (ATS) as a favorite (2-4-1 ATS at home as one).

But at Arrowhead, with help from the fans’ deafening noises, the Chiefs’ defense improves and allows just 19.4 points (11th). As a result, NFL scores in Kansas City tend to be lower and totals go under 75 percent of the time (2-6-0).

With the KC faithful backing their team, the Chiefs could just post their most emphatic victory here. The spread is sizable, especially in light of Jacksonville’s recent successes. But the Jaguars are just 3-5 ATS as a road underdog and the Chiefs did cover against them the last time (with a similar spread).

Want more articles like this? Check these out:

• NFL Wild Card Weekend: Ravens vs Bengals Betting Preview
• Dolphins vs Bills Betting Odds: Bills Favored Against Tua-Less Dolphins
• NFL Week 18 Matchups: Can Cincinnati Wrap Up the AFC North Title?
• Chargers vs Jaguars Betting Preview: Visiting Chargers A Slight Favorite on Saturday Night
• NFL Wild Card Round: Seahawks vs 49ers Betting Odds