Something will have to give when the 1-5 New England Patriots take on the 1-5 Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London.
The Jaguars lost in London last week, falling 35-16 to the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Meanwhile, the Patriots dropped their fifth straight game stateside, losing 41-21 to the Texans in Drake Maye’s first career start.
As we prepare for the final London game of the 2024 NFL season, let’s examine the latest betting odds and get into my Patriots vs Jaguars prediction and best bets.
Patriots vs Jaguars Odds
NFL odds are current as of Friday, Oct. 18, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Moneyline: Patriots (+215) vs Jaguars (-265)
- Spread: Patriots +6 (-108) vs Jaguars -6 (-112)
- Over/Under: Over 42 (-110) / Under 42 (-110)
Patriots vs Jaguars Prediction
Jaguars 27, Patriots 24
The smallest edges can be the difference between winning and losing in a contest of two evenly matched teams.
That’s why I’m siding with the Jaguars, who have an inherent advantage by playing their second straight game in London. The Patriots have had much less time to adjust their body clocks, having arrived on a redeye flight Friday morning.
Jacksonville took advantage of a similar situational spot last season, defeating a more talented Buffalo Bills squad that had to make a trans-Atlantic flight while the Jaguars prepped in London.
While the 2024 Jags don’t inspire much confidence, Trevor Lawrence and the offense left a lot of points out there last week against Chicago. If his pass-catchers make a few more plays, that score doesn’t look so lopsided.
Jacksonville is also the more desperate squad heading into this contest, as New England didn’t have as lofty preseason expectations in what is clearly a rebuilding year. If the Jags don’t show some fight Sunday, Doug Pederson could be the second coach fired this year.
Sportsbook Play of the Day
Patriots vs Jaguars Best Bets
Patriots +6 (-108)
While I like the Jaguars to win this game, I can’t trust them to win by margin. Jacksonville has the worst defense in the NFL per DVOA and has allowed 29.7 points per game.
The Patriots don’t have a lot of talent on offense, but Maye raises the floor, especially in the passing game. If needed, he should be able to get us a score late against a porous defense to secure a backdoor cover.
Give me the points with New England as one of my best NFL bets today.
Over 42 Points (-110)
This number feels too low.
The Patriots have more offensive potential with Maye under center and should be able to take advantage of this terrible Jaguars defense.
At the same time, the first-round rookie is also likely to cough the ball up a few times like he did last week against Houston, giving Jacksonville short fields to exploit.
We could get a surprise shootout here between two bad teams.
