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The Chargers vs. Jaguars spread had San Diego at -3. This is Carrie Stroup with a preview of Monday Night Football betting and a game that us bettors can still appreciate I suppose. Check out Sportsbook.com and mention promo code Carrie Stroup to receive up to $250 in FREE CASH based on how much money you open your account with to start betting.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: San Diego -3 (-125) & 39
Opening Line & Total: Chargers -3 & 41
The Jaguars play their first game since 2003 without head coach Jack Del Rio when they host the slumping Chargers on Monday Night Football.
Del Rio, who posted a 68-71 record in his tenure with Jacksonville, was fired on Tuesday and will be replaced by defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, who hasn’t decided on which one of his subpar quarterbacks (Blaine Gabbert or Luke McCown) will start on Monday night. But in terms of making mistakes, no QB has been more turnover-prone than San Diego’s Philip Rivers who leads the NFL with 17 interceptions, tossing 10 picks during his team’s current six-game losing skid. The Jags defense has been inconsistent all year but, outside of the Saints, no one has moved the ball on them in Jacksonville. They also have the most consistent running back in the NFL in Maurice Jones-Drew, who has rushed for 80+ yards in all but one of his team’s 11 games and leads the AFC with 1,040 rushing yards on the season.
The Chargers have a chance to win one against a Jaguars team that doesn’t pose a threat to their depleted secondary. They also had little trouble throwing on Jacksonville’s secondary last year in a 38-13 blowout win. Rivers tossed 3 TD passes and finished with 334 yards through the air. Despite last week’s OT loss to Denver, the Chargers’ beleaguered offensive line played much better, allowing the team to rush for 185 yards. Ryan Mathews ran for 137 of those yards on just 22 carries (6.2 YPC), proving that his bothersome knee injury is close to 100 percent. No. 1 WR Vincent Jackson continued his roller coaster season, catching only two passes for 25 yards against the Broncos. For the season, Jackson has six games of fewer than 50 receiving yards and four games of 100+ yards. He could have another down week facing Jacksonville’s fourth-best pass defense (183 YPG).
The Jaguars QB situation is certainly unsettled. Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert has the worst passer rating in the entire league (62.2), and he was benched in last week’s loss to Houston in favor of Luke McCown. The eight-year veteran started the season as the No. 1 QB, but lost his job in the middle of Week 2 after throwing four interceptions against the Jets. McCown was serviceable in the Texans game (7-of-11, 62 yards) but his career passer rating of 68.5 (6.4 YPA, 9 TD, 14 INT) doesn’t inspire much confidence. Not only has Jones-Drew done the job rushing the football, but he’s now getting more involved in the passing game, tallying 11 receptions in the past three weeks. He had just 12 catches in his first eight games this year. San Diego’s secondary should be able to limit whichever QB is under center, but its run defense will have a hard time stopping Jones-Drew. The Chargers currently place 25th in the NFL in run defense, allowing 132 rushing YPG.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
