Jacksonville Jaguars @ Las Vegas Raiders - December 22, 2024

Alright, folks, it’s game day! The Jacksonville Jaguars are rolling into Allegiant Stadium to take on the Las Vegas Raiders in what’s sure to be an intriguing matchup between two teams desperately seeking a win. I mean, let’s face it – both squads have had their fair share of struggles this season. But hey, that just makes for some entertaining football!

The oddsmakers have put the Jaguars as slight favorites by a point, which is pretty interesting considering both teams are sitting at the bottom of the league with records that scream “desperation.” The total points line is set at 44.5, and if you ask me, I think we might see something lower than that.

Let’s break down what we can expect from each team. The Raiders come into this one averaging around 18 points per game while boasting a decent passing attack with about 245 yards through the air and a solid completion percentage of nearly 66%. However, their ground game has been lagging behind with just under 80 rushing yards per contest. They’ve lost ten straight games now; talk about tough times! And don’t forget about their recent performance against Atlanta where they could only muster up nine points – yikes!

On the other side of things, we have the Jaguars who are averaging slightly more points at roughly 19 per game. Their passing numbers aren’t too shabby either but they’re leaning heavily on their rushing attack which averages over 100 yards per game. They also tend to rack up those yardage numbers when it comes to attempts – not bad!

Now here’s where my bias comes in: despite both teams struggling lately (Jaguars losing six out of their last seven), I’m feeling like this could be an opportunity for Jacksonville to cover that spread while also keeping it close enough for them to snag a win. After all, if there’s any time for them to bounce back and show some grit on the road after falling short against New York last week – today would be that day!

As for our good ol’ Over/Under prediction? With both offenses fighting tooth and nail and defenses trying hard not to give anything away in such critical matchups — I wouldn’t be surprised if we see something closer to ‘under’ than ‘over’.

So here’s how I’m calling it: Raiders pull off a victory today (hey! stranger things have happened), but expect the Jaguars to cover that spread while keeping things tight on defense — because who doesn’t love rooting for an underdog? Buckle up everyone! This is bound to be another wild ride in this crazy NFL season!