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Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Baltimore Ravens NFL Betting Odds & Spread

Written December 25, 2008 by Jason Lowry

Ravens Jaguars Football

The Baltimore Ravens season comes down to the final game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, as the Ravens win and they are in. If the Patriots slip up against the Bills then the Ravens are in and the game means nothing. Last week the Ravens went into Dallas and beat the Cowboys in what will likely be the last ever game played at Texas Stadium 33-24. The Jaguars lost for the 5th time in 6 weeks, as they fell to the Colts 24-31 to push their record to 5-10 on the season. For those of you looking to do a little NFL betting this weekend, the oddsmakers have the Ravens 12.5 point favorites over the Jaguars at Sportsbook.com.

The Jaguars season may be over, but this team continues to fight, and last week it looked as though they were going to upset the Colts, as they had a 24-14 lead going into the final quarter of play, but the offense went mute and the defense gave up 17 points and the Colts took home the victory. David Garrard had one of his better days throwing the football, as he racked up 329 yards with a score, while Maurice Jones-Drew took over the workload on the ground to run for 91 yards on 20 carries. Jones-Drew also added another 71 yards in the receiving game, but Dennis Northcutt led the way with 101 yards and score on 8 catches. This week the offense faces a defense that made Tony Romo look like Brad Johnson, and its hard to imagine Garrard having much better success this weekend.

A lot of how this game goes depends on if the Patriots win or not, cause if they Pats lose you can pretty much expect the Ravens to call off the dogs and give their starters some much needed rest heading into the playoffs. Against the Colts last week the Jaguars were great against the run allowing just 32 yards on 18 carries, but had no answer for Peyton Manning and the passing game, as Manning completed all by 5 passes for 364 yards and 3 scores. Expect a fight out of the Jaguars, but if the Ravens need this game we don’t see the Jags pulling off the upset. Bet Jacksonville Jaguars +12.5 at Sportsbook.com.

What a performance the Ravens running game put on last week, as every time Dallas made a move to get back in the game the Ravens answered with a big run. First it was Willis McGahee breaking one from 77 yards on the first play of the Ravens series after Dallas cut the lead to 2, then once Dallas scored to bring it back to a 2 point game, Le’Ron McClain busted the first play of the next series 82 yards for a score. Together the two backs combined to run for 247 yards and 2 scores, and with all that running the Ravens didn’t need a very big day out of rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, who had just 149 yards and a score. Look for the Ravens to pound the ball right at the Jaguars this Sunday, whether the game means nothing or everything for the Ravens.

The Ravens defense started off real strong allowing the Cowboys to score just 7 points in the first 3 periods of play, as Tashard Choice got Dallas on the board first with a 2 yard run in the first quarter, but that was all Dallas did till Tony Romo first hit Terrell Owens for a score then found Jason Witten on the very next series for a score in the 4th quarter. Romo did have the two big touchdown passes late, but was pretty awful other than those two drives, as he completed just 24 of 45 attempts and had 2 costly interceptions. The Ravens did struggle to keep Choice in check, as the rookie ran it 17 times for 90 yards and that early touchdown. We expect this defense to pick it up at home, and if the season is on the line, the Jaguars will be lucky to score more than 10 points. Bet Ravens -12.5 at Sportsbook.com.

Lowry’s Lean on the Game: Ravens -12.5
Honestly I am not 100% on this pick, as it really depends on if the Ravens are playing for a playoff spot, or if they can just put it in cruise control and get ready for the playoffs. My advice is take the Ravens if the game matters, and stay away from it if it doesn’t.

Predicted Score: Ravens 23 Jaguars 10

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