Quietly the Indianapolis Colts are making noise in the AFC playoff picture and pushing the Texans for the top spot in the South. The Colts won their fifth consecutive game knocking off the Dolphins on Sunday, getting three touchdown passes from Andrew Luck, who is a lock to win the comeback player of the year award. Without Luck all last season, the Colts finished at the bottom of the division with four wins. They can sweep the Jacksonville Jaguars and they are a 3-point favorite on the Week 13 opening NFL betting like to do so.
Watch this Week 13 regular season matchup live on Sunday, December 2, 2018, at 1 p.m. ET at TIAA Bank Field
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Indianapolis Colts -3
Jacksonville Jaguars +3
Over/Under 48
The first shoe dropped in the disappointing aftermath of the Jaguars season. One year after coming within about 10 minutes of their first Super Bowl appearance, the Jags have fallen hard, dropping near the bottom of the conference standings. A preseason favorite to reach the postseason again, the Jags lost their seventh straight game falling to the Bills last week.
Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was fired earlier in the week after the Jags’ 24-21 loss. During the skid the Jags averaged less than 16 points and topped out at 26 in a loss to the Colts a few weeks ago. The loss of Leonard Fournette to injuries didn’t help and Blake Bortles hasn’t improved on his breakout season from a year ago, something the team was counting on for continued success.
Instead, the Jags have one of the worst offenses in the NFL and someone had to fall on the sword. Hackett was dealt a bad hand with a number of injuries to key players, including the loss of top receiver Marqise Lee before the season even started. Fournette, who led the league’s best ground attack last season, has missed six games and was ejected from last week’s contest. The offensive line and tight end positions have also been ravaged.
And the aerial attack took a big hit because of the injuries. Bortles threw for just 127 yards against Buffalo, one week after totaling 104 yards against the Steelers. He’s also thrown 10 interceptions, which is tied for the fourth-highest total in the NFL. Staff changes typically have a way of inspiring players, but given what the Jags have it’s hard to envision that. And to make things worse they could be without Fournette, who will surely be disciplined by the league for actions in the Buffalo game.
So, where does that leave the Jags? Not in a good place against a team that has improved dramatically on the defensive side of the football after rough start to the year. Bortles had one of his best games of the season when these teams met a few weeks back, throwing for 320 yards and two scores. He was aided by the return of Fournette, who missed the previous four games, and the Jags scored 26 points. Still it wasn’t enough.
Cody Kessler has been named the starter in place of Bortles, and he’ll have to throw the football since the running game will be lacking with Fournette suspended. And working with new leadership should be a wakeup call to the entire group. I expect Kessler and the offense to have more success than they have recently since the Colts are still a work in progress on the defensive side. Playing the adjusted live betting lines at BookMaker.eu in favor of Kessler and the Jags offense might not be the popular choice, but it is the smart play.
Getting Luck healthy after he missed more than a season with a shoulder injury was crucial to the Colts’ survival. And the former No. 1 overall pick has shown just how valuable he is. Throwing three scoring passes for the fourth straight game, Luck led the Colts back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Dolphins. His 32 touchdown passes are second to only Patrick Mahomes in the NFL, and Luck has a favorite target in Eric Ebron, who’s tied for the league-lead with 11 touchdown catches. Those two hooked up twice for scores when the teams played three weeks ago and it’s a good bet that they do it again, so make a prop bet wager at BookMaker.eu.
Colts at Jaguars Live Betting
The Jags haven’t been the ferocious group on defense they were last season and they’ve wilted under the strain of keeping the team afloat. The teams cashed the over in their first meeting and it doesn’t appear as though Luck and the Colts are going to slow down, so playing Indy on the first half spread and point total is the right play on the live betting lines at BookMaker.eu.
NFL Betting Odds
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
