NFL Week 8 – Broncos vs Jaguars Betting Preview

The Denver Broncos (2-5) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5) meet across the pond as the NFL heads to London, UK, for another international game this Sunday, and as ever, we’re tagging along for the ride (hi, Russell) and bringing you this Broncos vs Jaguars Betting Preview, complete with free NFL predictions.

Both the Broncos and the Jaguars enter this Week 8 contest riding a four-game skid, but it’s Doug Pederson’s Jags that have looked better overall during what must be a disappointing stretch in both camps.

As such, the Jaguars are installed as the favorites across the NFL betting odds board. The Cats are priced as the -135 favorites on the moneyline to clinch the win  in their “spiritual” home in London. They’re also laying -2½ to the Broncos while the total is projected to a lowly 39½ points.

Find out how we line up our bets in this Broncos vs Jaguars Betting Preview. We look at the latest NFL news, team reports, injuries and more in order to serve up our choice predictions.

Broncos vs Jaguars Betting Odds

• Spread: Jaguars -2½ (-110)
• Moneyline: Broncos +115 | Jaguars -135
• Total: Over 39½  (-110) | Under 39½ (-110)

Jaguars Headed In Right Direction

At the start of the week, the Jaguars opened as the field goal favorites (or thereabouts) depending on your choice sportsbook.

The Jaguars are perennially included on the NFL London games calendar, and for Trevor Lawrence, this is his second trip across the pond since his NFL debut for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season.

Familiarity and good memories – the Jaguars won a wild one last year against the New Orleans Saints at Wembley Stadium – likely have played a small part in this favorable betting outlook.

But more likely, it’s the direction the Jaguars appear to be heading that is providing the catalyst for this market. Doug Pederson has had a positive impact on this young, developing team..

They might only have two wins to show for their efforts so far this season, but all their losses were decided by a handful of points. This includes last week’s heartbreaking 23-17 loss to the New York Giants that saw the Jaguars come an inch short of scoring a game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of the game.

The Jaguars are 2-5-0 against the spread (ATS) with a 2.6 winning margin on average.

Broncos Fall Out of Favor

The early NFL line for this game likely backed by the Russell Wilson injury (hamstring), which saw the veteran starter sit out Denver’s lackluster 16-9 loss to the New York Jets last Sunday.

It also took into consideration Denver’s comatose offense that looks to be clinging to life support right about  now. Backup Brett Rypien stepped in for Wilson versus the Jets, but the result was the same as the Broncos put up a paltry nine points in the losing effort.

Through seven weeks, the Broncos offense is averaging 14.3 points per game and ranks dead last in the league. It’s not just that they’re out of sync, but they also lack vision, imagination and creativity. It’s the least inspiring offense to say the least.

Wilson, who made the flight with his teammates, is eyeing a return to the starting lineup this weekend. While he’s still questionable, he’s doing everything he can to be “ready to rock.” This reportedly includes working out during the eight-hour flight to Britain’s capital, doing “high knees” up and down the aisle and limbering up his legs while his teammates tried to sleep.

“Everybody was knocked out, I was doing high knees and working on all my legs and everything else, making sure I’m ready to rock. So that was good.” said Wilson.

Plebs suffer from jetlag, but not Mr. Unlimited apparently. He felt “great” upon his arrival in London despite getting merely an hour of sleep on the flight.

“I don’t really get jet lagged too often. I’ve traveled enough to get my system down…  I fell asleep for one hour and then watching film the rest… and I feel great.”

Following Wednesday’s practice, coach Nathaniel Hackett was hopeful about Wilson’s progress, saying he was heading in a direction that suggests he’s going to start against the Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.

The Broncos are 2-5-0 ATS with a 2.1 losing margin on average this season.

Broncos vs Jaguars Betting Verdict

Few would have predicted the Broncos would be trading as the underdogs in this game after all the hype and buzz that preceded them into 2022. But things haven’t gone to plan for Denver and a lot of that has to do with the subpar play of their prized quarterback, Russell Wilson.

Since the markets opened, however, the NFL line for this game dropped by half a point. It’s quite possible that the move is a reaction to his in-flight limbering antics and/or reports of his potential return to the line up.

However, regardless of Wilson’s status for this game, the verdict for this Broncos vs Jaguars Betting preview is the same. That is, the Jaguars are the better bet in this spot. And now that they’re down from -3 to 2½, they’re an even better bet to clear the spread.

Markets are fluid. It’s very possible that this line will drop even further later in the week if Wilson is cleared to play. But waiting for that to happen is a risk that could backfire and see the line go up again. Wilson isn’t 100% and as he’s assessed, coach Nathaniel Hackett did say they were going to be smart with him too.

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