Jacksonville at Indianapolis Odds, Expert Pick & TV Info

Posted by Kenny Bell on Wednesday,December 28, 2016 9:41, EDT in

NFL News, Betting Tips, Picks & Previews

I’d like to tell you that Sunday’s AFC South game between Jacksonville and Indianapolis means something but it simply doesn’t. Both teams are out of the playoffs, although the Jaguars would benefit by losing to keep a Top-5 draft pick for next April. This could be the final game for Colts coach Chuck Pagano, who might be fired this offseason. Let’s take a look at the current NFL odds for the game.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis Odds, Expert Pick & TV Info

The opponent, mathcups to watch, #Jaguars to keep an eye on, keys to victory. We set the table for the season finale https://t.co/dvMzR56P0z

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 28, 2016

When: Sunday, Jan. 1, 1 PM ET
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
TV: CBS
Radio: Jacksonville / Indianapolis
Stream Option: NFL Live
Opening NFL Lines: Colts -4.5 (47)

Why Bet on Jacksonville?

The Jags might have cost themselves a Top 3 draft pick with a 38-17 upset of Tennessee in Week 16, ending Jacksonville’s nine-game losing streak end knocking the Titans out of playoff contention. Blake Bortles threw for 325 yards and a touchdown, and was on the receiving end of a 20-yard trick play that sealed the win with 5:25 remaining. Rookie Jalen Ramsey returned an interception 30 yards on the ensuring play to set off a big celebration. The Jags’ last victory at home came Dec. 13, 2015, against Indianapolis. It was the Jags' first win since the team fired Coach Gus Bradley and replaced him on an interim basis with Doug Marrone, who might have a pretty good shot at the full-time job if the Jags also win this one.

It was the first time ever that the Jaguars (3-12) won a game in which Bortles threw for more than 300 yards. They had been 0-10. Bortles threw for 217 yards in the first half, which the first time in his career he’s thrown for more than 200 yards in the first half of any game. He’s surpassed 200 yards passing in the second half of a game eight times. He also is the first player in NFL history to throw for 300-plus yards and catch a touchdown pass in the same game. A big reason for Bortles’ success against the Titans? He found Allen Robinson again. Robinson caught a season-high nine passes for 147 yards.

Chris Ivory rushed 14 times for 45 yards and a touchdown and caught 4-of- 6 targets for 69 yards in the Jaguars’ Week 16 win over the Titans. Ivory took over as the Jaguars’ primary back due to T.J. Yeldon’s ankle aggravation, scoring from a yard out. The Jags have placed Yeldon on injured reserve, ending his season. Jacksonville claimed RB Daryl Richardson off waivers to take Yeldon’s spot.

Ivory has missed four games because of various injuries and he might not be able to play this week against the Colts because of a hamstring injury. That means the Jaguars would have to rely on Denard Robinson, second-year player Corey Grant, first-year player Bronson Hill, and newly signed Richardson, who has 169 carries in his career but only two since 2013. Things are much better if Robinson is able to play after missing three games because of an ankle injury. Robinson has rushed for 127 yards on 37 carries, but he has been the Jaguars’ feature back before. He led the team in rushing in 2014 with 582 yards. He had back-to- back 100-yard games that season. In their last 21 games, the Jaguars are 2-0 against the Colts. They are 2-17 against the rest of the NFL.

Why Bet on Indianapolis?

The Colts’ playoff hopes ended with a 33-25 Week 16 loss in Oakland. Andrew Luck threw two interceptions, Frank Gore lost a fumble and Indianapolis (7-8) allowed TDs on five straight drives to be eliminated from the playoffs for the second straight year. Luck rallied the Colts from 26 points down to just eight with 2:33 left, but Oakland QB Matt McGloin completed a 19-yard pass to Amari Cooper on third-and- 8 on the next drive and the Raiders ran out the clock.

The only thing the Colts have done consistently this season is be inconsistent. They won consecutive games only once, and they will not have a better-than- .500 record at any point this season. This is the first time the Colts will miss the playoffs in back-to- back seasons since the 1997-98 campaigns.

“It’s not good,” Luck said. “It’s not what being a Colt is all about. It’s not what playing for the Horseshoe is all about. Not that the playoffs are the ultimate goal every year. We know what the ultimate goal is. To get to [the Super Bowl] you have to get to the playoffs, that’s the standard that many guys set before I joined this club. Like all the guys in [the Colts locker room], I feel responsible for not making it.”

Colts WR Donte Moncrief is undergoing an MRI on his shoulder. Moncrief has battled recurring shoulder and hamstring injuries all season. Coach Chuck Pagano confirmed Monday that Moncrief’s latest injury is to the same shoulder that kept Moncrief out of five games earlier this year. As Week 17 is meaningless for the Colts, Moncrief playing against the Jags seems unlikely.

Pagano has confirmed the Colts will not rest any starters in their meaningless Week 17 game against the Jaguars: “Why would we. We’ll play our guys to win the football game.”