Patriots Big Favorites vs. Jaguars
The line is out for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game and the Patriots are nearly double-digit favorites to beat the Jaguars in New England.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Patriots are 9.5-point home favorites to knock off the surprising Jaguars at 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday. The line opened at 8.5 but was quickly bet up a full point despite Jacksonville’s stunning upset of the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
As for the over/under, the number opened at 47 but was quickly bet down a half-point to 46.5. Both Jacksonville and New England went over the total in their Divisional Round matchups this weekend, as the Jaguars beat the Steelers in a surprising 45-42 shootout and the Pats crushed the Titans, 35-14. (Tennessee scored a touchdown with under two minutes to play in the fourth quarter to push the number over.)
Bet NFL Championship Sunday Games
Early action for this game is on the Patriots. As of Monday morning, 63% of the betting tickets and 73% of the money were on New England to cover the large point spread. The over, meanwhile, garnered 63% of the betting tickets and 56% of the money.
Jacksonville has struggled to cover the spread in previous trips to Foxborough. In the last six meetings between these two teams in New England, the Jaguars failed to cover five times. The Jags are also just 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games versus the Patriots overall while the home team has cashed in six of the last eight series meetings.
The Patriots are also 4-0 against the spread in their last four playoff games and are a perfect 5-0 against the number in their last five home playoff games, which includes Saturday night’s 13.5-point cover versus Tennessee. They’re also 13-3 at the betting window in their last 16 games coming off a win of more than 14 points.