- 1,277
- 86
- 48
Opening line: Chargers -1.5; Over/Under 46.5
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET Saturday (NBC)
UPDATE 6 P.M. ET THURSDAY: Caesars Sports opened the Chargers -2.5, but that number dipped to pick 'em early in the week on the NFL Wild Card odds board. The number rebounded to L.A. -2.5 by this morning, but it's now at Chargers -1.5.
Los Angeles is landing 62% of early spread tickets/66% of early spread cash.
"It seems like a coin-flip type of game,” Caesars' Adam Pullen said. “The sharps [Wednesday] and the day before had a couple big bets to get it off pick and back up to Chargers -2.5. It’s a really interesting matchup though. You have two quarterbacks making their first playoff starts, but I think the edge might lie in the coaching department. We’ll see if Doug Pederson and his Super Bowl pedigree will show Brandon Staley a little something.
"But it’s anyone guess what will happen in this game, and it shows with the action we’ve gotten on it so far.”
Caesars took a $250,000 bet at Jaguars even money on the moneyline.
The total opened at 47 and has spent much of the week at 47.5. Caesars' splits aren't available on this game.
UPDATE MIDNIGHT ET SUNDAY: Perhaps shockingly, Jacksonville – which had a combined four wins the past two seasons – won the AFC South this year. The Jaguars (9-8 SU, 8-8-1 ATS) at least managed to finish above .500, unlike their in-state playoff brethren Tampa Bay.
Jacksonville won its last five games SU (4-1 ATS), including two over a Tennessee team that mid-November seemed a sure thing to win the division. In Week 18, the Jags closed as 6-point home favorites against the Titans and got a late fumble-return touchdown to win 20-16. That gave the Jags the division and the AFC's No. 4 seed.
Los Angeles (10-7 SU, 11-5-1 ATS) had a late-season four-game run to clinch its playoff spot before Week 18. By the time the Chargers kicked off against Denver, they were locked into the No. 5 seed, regardless of outcome. Los Angeles came up just short in a 31-28 loss catching 6.5 points on the road.
"We've taken some action on both sides, but more respected money on the home 'dog Jags bumped us down to 1," The SuperBook's Casey Degnon said. "I think as the week goes on, we will continue to see good two-way action. Some [early] action on the Over, as well, but we are still at 46.5."
These two teams have history this season. In Week 3, with Chargers QB Justin Herbert trying to play through a rib injury, the Jags hammered L.A. 38-10 as 4-point road 'dogs.