Chargers vs Jaguars Wild Card Week: Jaguars Covered the Spread in Four of Their Last Five Games

• The 10-7 LA Chargers are the AFC’s 5th seed, coming off a loss to the Broncos

• The 4th seed Jacksonville Jaguars Rule the AFC South, now on a 5-game win streak

• Watch Chargers vs Jaguars live on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at 8:10 PM ET on NBC

Chargers vs Jaguars Wild Card Week Odds

 Chargers vs Jaguars Wild Card Week Picks

POINT SPREAD: Jacksonville Jaguars +1.5 (-115) at FanDuel

POINTS TOTAL: Under 47.5 (-108) at BetRivers

SPECIAL: First TD Scorer Travis Etienne (+500) at WynnBet

POINT SPREAD: Jacksonville Jaguars +1.5 (-115) at FanDuel

Game two of the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend postseason Saturday doubleheader has the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Chargers taking on the fourth-seeded Jacksonville Jaguars, these Chargers coming off a disappointing Week 18 loss to the Denver Broncos facing a fired-up Jaguars team now on a five-game win streak led by the talented young QB Trevor Lawrence.

The sportsbooks tell us that the Jaguars have covered the spread in four of their last five games, plus throw in the fact that they get to play at home in front of their raucous fans who are seeing just their second playoff appearance since 2007, this string of wins due in big part to the offensive weapons including WRs Zay Jones, Marvin Jones, and Christian Kirk and TE Evan Ingram.

The Chargers have a top-9 offense led by QB Justin Herbert who gets to target WR Keenan Allen and TE Gerald Everett and maybe star receiver Mike Williams (back) who is listed as questionable to play, this the first postseason for new HC Brandon Staley who was brought in to take this team to the next level, their 20th ranked defense expecting LB Joey Bosa to play huge.

POINTS TOTAL: Under 47.5 (-108) at BetRivers

The oddsmakers are expecting this game to be a relatively higher scoring matchup given the 47.5 points total bet that BetRivers is offering, that combined points total on the high side when compared with what these offenses typically deliver, with the Los Angeles Chargers averaging 23 points per week and the Jacksonville Jaguars scoring 23.8 points, that 46.8 combined total just under this bet.

Same thing with the defenses when it comes to points – the Chargers allow opponents to score 22.6 points per week and the Jaguars let the teams they play score 20.6 points on average, that total of 43.2 is still well under what the sportsbooks predict for this game so we like the under here, though postseason fervor could lead to more scoring so keep that in mind as you place your bets.

Injuries could be a factor so be sure to check the lists before placing bets, right now with the LA Chargers listing 14 players on IR with three more questionable to play, while the Jaguars have just a half dozen players on IR, their healthy roster at home a good sign that they might continue their win streak and continue HC Doug Pederson’s first season aboard in Jacksonville.

SPECIAL: First TD Scorer Travis Etienne (+500) at WynnBet

There are all sorts of special bets available from various sportsbooks so be sure to shop around for your favorites, and one that caught our eye was this Special from WynnBet where the bettor must guess which player will be the first TD scored in this game, with different odds given to the various playmakers (that complete list is available at the WynnBet site).

The favorite to win this bet according to the sportsbooks is Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler (+460) with a $100 bet paying winners $460 plus the wager, a good bet given that the dual-threat back leads the league in total TDs (18) and has posted a TD in eleven of his games this season, Ekeler a 5’ 10” 200-pound playmaker who can hurt defenses in multiple ways.

Our pick for this bet is Jacksonville Jaguars rookie RB Travis Etienne who has five TDs this season during his first year in the league, a 5’ 10” 210-pound Clemson product who posted 220 carries for 1,125 rushing yards this season as well as 35 receptions for 316 yards, fast becoming a big part of Jaguars OC Press Taylor’s game plan, this his first NFL postseason.

How to Watch Chargers vs Jaguars

• What: Los Angeles Chargers vs Jacksonville Jaguars

• Where: TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL

• When: Saturday, January 14, 2023, at 8:10 PM ET

• How: NBC