Broncos at Jaguars: Preview, Prediction, Odds
Denver Broncos vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Perhaps you were looking at the schedule for the 2016 NFL season and saw Week 13’s matchup between the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars in Florida and thought it might be a sleeper as a great matchup. Fast forward to that matchup getting ready to kickoff and that’s far from the case.
For the Broncos, their offense has been inconsistent and it may be more so in Week 13. With Trevor Siemian out due to injury, rookie Paxton Lynch is not getting his second career start. He looked quite awful in his first, but will hope to take advantage of what’s been a bad Jaguars defense. More importantly, Von Miller, T.J. Ward and the Broncos defense will also look to lead the way.
Then you have the Jags and all their disappointment. Pegged as a breakout team in the preseason, they haven’t been able to breakout of two wins at this point. Blake Bortles has been atrocious and their defense has continued to struggle as it’s not yet complete. However, they could turn things around for a positive down the stretch and a win over Denver would help start that.
Here are the keys to victory for each team.
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Keys to Victory
Given what Paxton Lynch looked like the last time out, the Broncos have to focus on running the football. Hand the ball to Devontae Booker and then repeat the process. Though weather won’t be an issue and though this Jacksonville team has struggled, Lynch isn’t ready to take over the offense with authority. Thus, it’s pivotal that Denver control time of possession with the ground game. Moreover, they also need to put their defense in a position where they can dominate like they’re capable of doing. Heavy rushing attacks allow for that.
This feels like a broken record, but the Jaguars can’t keep turning the ball over the way they have. Bortles has been atrocious this season, despite high expectations for him and the team. And a big part of that has been simply egregious turnovers by him. If the Jags are able to hold onto the football, though, and not give a rookie extra chances to break through, that puts them in a position at least to have success.
Odds
Point Spread: Denver -3.5
Moneyline: Denver -190, Jacksonville +170
Over/Under: 39
Next: NFL Coaches on Hot Seat in Week 13
Prediction
The last time that we saw Lynch under center, it wasn’t pretty for the Denver offense. That said, they also weren’t playing the Jaguars. I think that Lynch is used minimally as the Broncos focus on the run (like they should) and let their defense go to work. Though the Jags might keep it a bit close, the Broncos on the road pick up the victory.
Pick: Denver Broncos: 20, Jacksonville Jaguars: 16