Sportsbooks: Colts -4 versus Jaguars

Indianapolis Colts (6-5 SU, 5-5-1 ATS) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8 SU, 3-6-2 ATS)
When: December 02, 2018, 1:00 PM EST
Where: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
TV: CBS
BY: Rick Wise

Point Spread: IND -4/JAC +4 (Bookmaker Sportsbook)
Over/Under: 47.5

Takeaways From Week 12

Adam Vinatieri kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Indianapolis Colts to a 27-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins for their fifth consecutive win.

Andrew Luck shook off a third quarter funk to erase a late 10-point deficit. By the time the last frame started, Luck had thrown two interceptions and seemed unable to figure out a relenting Miami defense. But then he suddenly found that 4th quarter magic, tossing a game-tying 12-yard touchdown pass to Eric Ebron with just over four minutes left on the cock then driving Indy down the field with seven consecutive completions to set Vinatieri up for the game-winner.

Luck caught fire late to seal the victory, hitting 9 different receivers for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns in the game, but T.Y. Hilton brought the goods again. He lead all receivers with 7 catches for 125 yards after snagging 9 balls for 155 yards last week against Tennessee.

Sportsbooks Hang Colts -4. Time to Bet?

Meanwhile, the Jaguars miserable season effectively came to a close after losing their 7th straight Sunday 24-21 to the Buffalo Bills.

The wheels fell completely off the wagon for Jacksonville on Sunday. The wild brawl between Leonard Fournette and Shaq Lawson, which led to both players being ejected from the game and Fournette ultimately being suspended for a game, is just one giant example of how head coach Doug Marrone has lost control of this team.

The Jaguars defense, heralded as one of the best coming into the season, continues to be a major disappointment. There’s a lesson to be learned in Jacksonville’s current defensive struggles and that is that you probably shouldn’t talk trash about players you’ll be facing in the near future. This past offseason, Jalen Ramsey said some unflattering things about Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Allen, among many other players. Last week, Big Ben handed the Jags a crushing defeat. This week, it was Josh Allen’s turn after Ramsey called him “trash” back in July. Allen set a franchise quarterback record with 99 rushing yards and was largely responsible for Jacksonville’s seventh consecutive loss.

The Historicals

The Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars have faced each other a total of 35 times and the Colts lead the series 23-12-0 dating back to 1995. The Colts have also had the upper had as of late, winning 6 of the last 10 going back to 2013.

Injury Concerns

For Indianapolis, listed as questionable for Sundays game are TE Ryan Hewitt (ankle), TE Erik Swoope (knee), C Ryan Kelly (knee), RB Marlon Mack (concussion), LB Darius Leonard (knee).

For Jacksonville, listed as questionable for Sunday are DT Marcell Darius (back), DE Lerentee McCray (hamstring), G Josh Walker (foot), RB Leoanrd Fournette (suspension), WR D.J Chalk Jr. (quad), CB Quenton Meeks (knee).

When the Colts Have the Ball

In Indy’s current five-game winning streak Andrew Luck has been otherworldy. His passer rating has dipped below 123.5 just once and has soared as high as 143.8. He’s completed over 70% of his passes every time out except for last week against Miami when he connected on an insane 81.1% of his pass attempts. Despite their recent struggles, the Jags still own the NFL’s third-ranked passing defense but it probably won’t matter. Look for Luck to continue being as good as he ever was.

When the Jaguars Have the Ball

Jacksonville has decided to address its ailing offense by benching Blake Bortles in favor of Cody Kessler but with Leonard Fournette serving a one-game suspension Sunday the change is unlikely to fix things. There’s not much of a sample size on Kessler as he’s only done some light mop-up duty this season, completing 21-of-30 for 156 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. But he’ll be up against a mediocre 20th-ranked Indy pass defense so he should at least have a slight chance at snapping the Jags’ 7-game skid.

Betting Trends

• Indianapolis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Indianapolis’s last 19 games
• Indianapolis is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
• Indianapolis is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games on the road
• The total has gone OVER in 14 of Indianapolis’s last 21 games on the road
• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Indianapolis’s last 9 games on the road
• Indianapolis is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Jacksonville
• Indianapolis is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing Jacksonville
• Indianapolis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Jacksonville
• The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Indianapolis’s last 15 games when playing Jacksonville
• Jacksonville is 0-3-2 ATS in its last 5 games
• Jacksonville is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
• Jacksonville is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
• Jacksonville is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games at home
• Jacksonville is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Jacksonville’s last 5 games at home
• Jacksonville is 6-0-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Indianapolis
• Jacksonville is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Indianapolis
• Jacksonville is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing Indianapolis
• The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Jacksonville’s last 15 games when playing Indianapolis

Weather Report

Temperatures of 79 degrees are expected for this one under party cloudy skies with 74% humidity and 9 mph SW winds.

Rick Wise’s Pick: Indy -4