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Edgar Chaput
Titans vs. Jaguars Point Spread: NFL Week 18 Odds, Prediction
Division champions will be crowned, a fitting conclusion to what has been a topsy-turvy 2022 in the AFC South.
The NFL experts deem Doug Pederson’s Jags as -6.5 favourites on the NFL odds. The over-under set at 40 points.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Tennessee was 7-3 not so long ago after demonstrating their prowess on a Thursday in Green Bay. Conversely, Jacksonville was floundering at 4-8 in early December. Typical AFC South storylines.
Yet here we are with all to play for. The visiting Nashville squad is a worrisome 7-9 after losing six straight, whereas the home team Jags enter the game with the moxie and glow that a run of four victories will provide any club. Among those four wins was a trip to their archrival Titans, a game in which they announced that the race for first place was far from over, stuffing Tennessee 36-22.
Coach Vrabel knows how to prep his squad for such occasions. They captured the AFC South last year by winning in week 18 away to the Texans. It’s not as though they haven’t been in this situation before. As for spreads, the +6.5 status may seem harsh, but they haven’t covered since the aforementioned game against the Packers.
By contrast, this is all new to Jacksonville, who hasn’t partaken in post-season football since the 2017 season. The Eagles won it all that year. Ironically, current Jaguars coach Doug Pederson led that ensemble. Another starkly different stat for the Floridian side, albeit a positive one, is that their seemingly mediocre 8-8 tally ATS has actually been boosted by four straight covers.
Tennessee Titans
It was all hands on deck in Week 17 when the Cowboys came to Nissan Stadium on Thursday night. Dallas’s place in the NFC was mostly set, so it was questionable how much they had to truly play for. The Titans, on the other hand, were in dire need of a win. Injuries (Ryan Tannehill) and poor play (Malik Willis) led Vrabel to sign QB Joshua Dobbs during the week. Desperate times.
Alas, Tennessee fell 27-13. There was a stretch during the second and third quarters when the home side’s secondary kept them in the game, picking off Dak Prescott a couple of times. Dobbs also tossed a red zone TD to Robert Woods in the third period to make it a 17-13 contest. But Dallas was simply the superior side. A Tennessee air attack that had struggled all season wasn’t going to suddenly lift off with a QB who suited up for the first time days prior. That said, Dobbs is starting Saturday night. Again, desperate times.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars enter Week 18 with several strengths finally coming to fruition. Trevor Lawrence, despite still tossing the odd errant pass, is coming into his own. 24 TDs against 8 INTs and a 95.4 passing rating a leap forward from 2021. Running back Travis Etienne Jr. has proven his worth, surpassing 1,000 yards and averaging 5.2 per carry. The defence has also improved, giving up a decent 20.9 points per game, good for 12th in the NFL.
These strengths combined resulted in a 31-3 beatdown of the Texans last week. Before anybody rolls their eyes, Houston had given several opponents fits in recent weeks. The AFC is a relatively weak division. Should Jacksonville prevail, they’d do so with an overall mediocre record, but things are looking good at just the right time.
TEN
JAC