Chargers vs. Jaguars: 2023 NFL AFC Wild Card Football Picks & Predictions (Saturday)
When the Los Angeles Chargers visit the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC wild-card round on Saturday night, one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL will celebrate his playoff debut with a victory.
The Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert compete in their first postseason games in this one, with the winner advancing to the divisional playoffs the following weekend.
Let’s take a closer look at how things might go in this one.
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(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
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Chargers vs. Jaguars NFL Wild Card Preview & Best Bets
Details
- Opening Line: Jaguars +1 | O/U 47
- Current Line: Jaguars +2.5 | O/U 47.5
- Last meeting: September 25, 2022 – Jaguars 38, Chargers 10
Overview
With five straight victories to finish up the regular season, including a 20-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night, the fourth-seeded Jaguars (9-8) bulldozed their way into the playoffs.
After going a combined 4-29 in their previous two campaigns, including 13 dreadful games played under former coach Urban Meyer in 2021, and then dropping six of their first eight games this year, nobody anticipated seeing Jacksonville in the postseason.
Lawrence, though, who was selected first overall in the ’21 draft, made significant progress while throwing for 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Lawrence completed 20 of 32 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown against Tennessee, providing the decisive plays to keep his side alive that led to Josh Allen’s game-winning, 37-yard fumble return late in the fourth quarter.
Despite having only 222 yards as a team and being limited to minus-1 in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars were still able to secure the victory. Coach Doug Pederson is eager to see how Lawrence performs in the spotlight of the playoffs as Jacksonville is participating in the postseason for just the second time in the previous 15 seasons.
The Chargers are hoping Herbert makes that significant advancement as well, as for the first time since 2018, the fifth-seeded Chargers (10-7) received a wild-card berth. In his third consecutive solid season, Herbert, the sixth overall pick in 2020, threw for 4,739 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
The Chargers had a 6-6 record and were shaky before going on a four-game winning streak to secure their postseason spot. They had already locked up a wild-card place going into their regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, but they fell short 31-28.
Bottom Line
These two do have recent history against each other. In Week 3, Lawrence passed for 262 yards and three touchdowns as the Jaguars thrashed the visiting Chargers 38-10. Herbert completed 297 of his passes for one touchdown and one interception.
Mike Williams, a receiver with the Chargers, suffered a back injury versus Denver and underwent an MRI to diagnose the severity. Los Angeles anticipates him to be available for the game despite his absence from Tuesday’s walkthrough due to what was later confirmed to be a bruise. Superstar pass rusher Joey Bosa (groin) is also anticipated to participate.
I think the Chargers get their revenge here and run away with this one.
Pick: Chargers -2.5
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